My Heart Will Go On
by elle127
Summary: A Paordy of the Movie Titanic. Rukia a rich girl falls in love with Ichigo a penniless artist aboard the ill-fated ship
1. Prologue: 25 Miles Under the Atlantic

Elle: firstly i DO NOT own Titanic Bleach or anything that is under copyright especially Marcus he's from Harry Potter...Jake, Jack, Arisa, and Amy are my OCs

For the first Chapter it's just my OCs but the movie doesn't start off right away either, just deal with me here. The Bleach people will make their appeances later. Promise :)

Prologue

The blackness of the Atlantic Ocean pressed against the three man miniature submersible that was nearly two and a half miles under water. A twenty seven year old man was busy fumbling with various control and knobs at the control panel while the two twenty six year olds in the sub with him slept crammed against the wall in uncomfortable positions.

The man awake was muttering to himself in French, his name was Marcus Flint, the son of Jonathan Flint who was funding this expedition. The whole thing seemed truly pointless to Marcus but because of his friend Jake Emmerson's passion for treasure hunting Marcus now found himself operating a mini sub under two and a half miles of ocean.

Jake and Jack Emmerson were twins and they had known Marcus since grade school. Now out of college Jake had decided to pursue a life-long dream of discovering buried treasure somewhere and now was no different.

Marcus landed the sub on the Atlantic's sandy bottom jostling the twins from there sleep. They woke with a start and began to rub various body parts, stiff from being bent into a pretzel.

"Morning princesses," Marcus said with a snicker as the twins rubbed sleep from their eyes. "Welcome to the bottom of the sea."

Jake pressed his face against the tiny porthole and stared at the massive ship wreck above them. Slightly visible against the steel plate under the water the letters R.M.S. Titanic stood out. Jake's face broke into a grin.

"Holy ship," Jack said staring at the massive hunk of metal in front of them. "Get it? Ship?"

Ignoring Jack's bad pun Jake pulled out his video camera and turned it on.

"Why ya have to pull that thing out now eh?" Marcus asked ducking out of the camera's field of vision. Jake ignored him.

"Here we are," he started. "Two point five miles under the Atlantic, April 14, 1921 the ship in front of me hits an iceberg on the starboard side and goes down in less than three hours. 84 years later, Jake and Jack Emmerson, aged 26 and Marcus Flint 27 voyage down into the void to explore the wreck."

"And possibly loot it for treasure," Marcus added from his hiding spot.

"This icy void has a pressure of three tons per square inch; if the nine-inch thick steel walls surrounding us give out we're screwed that's the equivalent of a locomotive crushing a bug. That's what the Titanic has been dealing with for 84 years, every time I see it, I think of the tragedy and my eyes well up."

"You're so full of shit Emmerson," Marcus said. "You want me to launch Hyuga one or not?"

Jake looked at Marcus.

"Yeah, launch the robot."

At the command Marcus moved to a different set of controls and began to fiddle with them. Outside of the sub a small square robot, connected to the sub by a thick cable whirred into life. It was dubbed 'Hyuga one' after Jake and Marcus's friend Neji Hyuga, just because well they felt like naming something after a friend.

Marcus had control over Hyuga one by means of an Xbox joystick. One of several monitors in the sub turned on and showed live feed from a video camera on Hyuga one.

The twins watched the monitor as Marcus guided the robot into the ship. They watched intently as the ship passed over various states of opulence in the first class staterooms. Much debris littered the floor varying in content. The light once passed over a child's doll which resembled a child's skull with chilling accuracy. Marcus continued to guide the robot into another stateroom, on the far end of which was a giant wardrobe. Jake's dark green eyes lit up

"It's in the wardrobe!" he yelled happily glomping Marcus. The older man snarled and Jake backed off remembering that Marcus was the one who held the controls.

Marcus was concentrated on opening the wardrobe and did so with excellent precision. Once the door was off and the cloud of silt that was settled for 84 years was resettled after being shaken a dark shape at on the shelf.

"Do you see that?" Jake squealed. "Do you see that?"

"Yes I do," Marcus hissed. "Shut up or I take us right up to the surface."

That promptly shut Jake up.

"What is it?" Jack asked his voice muffled from being pressed into the wall by Jake.

"It's in the safe!" Jake called once again glomping Marcus. "We're gonna be the luckiest bastards in the world!"


	2. 1 Aboard the Research Ship

**Chapter one**

The exploration ship being funded by Marcus's parents was owned by a prestigious French company. Now several dozen dock workers crowded around the main deck as the mini sub occupied by Jake, Jack and Marcus was being pulled back on the ship.

Marcus carefully supervised the recovered safe as several more workers lowered it onto the deck with exceptional care.

"Easy there!" Marcus would bark every so often. "That thing's older than you are."

Jake and Jack followed closely by Marcus's sister Amy, the overseer and representative of her father's business came over. Jake had the expression of a child on Christmas morning.

"Who kicks ass?" Jake asked slinking his arm around Marcus's shoulders. Marcus shook Jake off looking just as ecstatic.

"I do," he replied with a wolfish grin. "You helped." He added smacking his friend upside the head.

"Let's pry this bitch open," Jake said as he and Marcus gathered around the rusted safe. Jack came over laden with a crowbar, a jack hammer and several pounds of TNT. Several reporters from CNN and other news networks gathered around Jake in hopes of getting a full story. Marcus had picked up the crowbar and was staring at the safe.

"My name is Jake Emmerson," Jake said. "My crew and I dove two point five miles under the ocean to recover this safe found in a first class stateroom on the Titanic. What we are looking fore hopefully is in that safe."

The cameramen all shifted to Marcus and Jack who were trying to open the safe with the crowbar. Jake had stopped talking and watched the battle between an eighty-four year old safe and two men in their late twenties…and the safe was winning.

Swearing in French Marcus pulled off his shirt and threw it at a newscaster. He put his foot on top of the safe and the other on the crowbar sticking out between the door and the top of the safe attempting to use the 185 pounds on his six foot figure to pry the thing open.

The safe refused to open and stood there mocking Marcus's attempts. He glared at it with the sun reflecting off the sweat on his fit figure.

Marcus stared at the safe and Jake and Jack joined him. The newscasters moved in closer to catch this tense moment.

"Stupid son of a bitch," Marcus snarled at it. Jake picked up the crowbar and stared at the safe for several seconds before he walked over to it. Jake then jammed the crowbar in the same spot Marcus had before and with one sharp upward motion the rusted hinges broke off and the door fell to the floor with a loud clatter.

"Hmph," Jake nodded curtly and knelt down in the water that spilled out of the same.

"Scrawny little bastard," Marcus muttered before he yelled: "I loosened it fore you!" at Jake. Nobody was paying the slightest bit attention as the news crew was all gathered around Jake as he dug through the contents of the safe. Whatever he deemed of unimportance he threw to the side and an annoyed Amy ran over to recover the discarded items to bring them to the lab. Jake searched every last corner of the safe before the brutal reality hit him.

"It's not here," he muttered to Marcus and Jack.

"You're kidding," Jack said searching the safe from top to bottom. Marcus's face was devoid of emotion.

"Ah fuck,"

~*~*~*

In the ship's lab Jake Jack and Marcus examined the items recovered from the safe in the bins of protective chemicals. Both Jake and Jack were annoyed and upset but neither of them compared to Marcus who had just spent the past hour taking his aggravation out on the poor news crew. In Marcus's defense they did deserve it for continually pestering him for information.

Amy came running over to the boys cell phone in hand and an expression of pure aggravation on her face. Enough to make even Marcus slink into a corner to avoid her..

"Marcus," Amy snapped as her brother emerged from his hiding place. "The land lovers want to know how your little deep sea adventure is going."

"Tell them it's a date from hell," Marcus snapped at Amy now as annoyed as she was. Apparently anger ran in the family.

"Can do," Amy said leaving. Jack turned to Jake.

"Where is it?" he asked. "I could have sworn it was in the safe."

"There's still an entire ship to search," Jake said glumly. "Let's go down tonight."

Marcus had wandered off to where a tech was cleaning off a stack of papers that Amy recovered when Jake discarded them.

"Hey guys," he called over to the twins. They hurried over. "Check this out."

Jake and Jack peered into the tub Marcus was staring at. There was a drawing in the chemicals a beautifully rendered drawing of a nude female wearing a giant diamond necklace at her throat. Jake pulled a photo from a clip and held it against the drawing. To his suspicion the necklaces matched.

Jack slapped Marcus on the back and the two began to celebrate. Jake was bent over the drawing in the tub studying it closely. Scribbled in the corner was the date April 14, 1912 and the initials I.K.

Once again the news crew was in the way and Marcus was on the other side of the ship, to ensure the news crew's safety as opposed to his own.

Jake's voice carried through a small Japanese style home somewhere in California where an ancient looking woman watched two younger people a man and a woman spar in the dojo with boken.

The old woman watched the news on and off whenever the younger people took a rest from sparring. This time she looked up as Jake was explaining the drawing that they had found in the safe. The younger woman looked at the older woman who was intently watching the TV.

"_Obasan_," she asked, "_daijou-bu desu-ka_?"

"Arisa," the older woman said. "You may speak English, would you be so kind as to turn up the volume?"

Arisa rushed to follow the request. Her sparring partner, a well built man in his late twenties with long black hair and narrow black eyes turned to Arisa's grandmother.

"Rukia-sama," he asked "can I get you anything?"

Rukia was too transfixed on the image on the screen to hear the question. It was the drawing that Jake and his crew had found under water. Rukia stared at it in amazement.

"My god."

Jake's green eyes scanned the launch dock to make sure all was in order for the night's launch. He himself was about to get into another sub and go under when Amy ran up to him once again cell phone in hand.

"Emmerson," she barked. "Line one"

"I'm busy here Flint," Jake snapped with one foot already in the sub. "Take a message."

Amy grabbed Jake's ankle.

"Take the damn call," she snarled. Not wanting another feud Jake did what he was told.

"Jake Emmerson," he said into the phone while Amy breathed down his neck. "How may I help you Mrs…"

"Shiba," Amy provided. "Rukia Shiba"

"Mrs. Shiba?"

"I was wondering if you had found the heart of the ocean yet, Mr. Emmerson," Rukia asked Jake in the phone. Jake nearly dropped the phone. Amy smirked.

"Ok Rukia, you have my attention, can you tell me who the woman in the picture is?"

"Of course," Rukia answered. "That would be me, Mr. Emmerson."


	3. 2 Wild Explanations

**Chapter Two**

"She's a god damned liar!" Marcus yelled at the twins backs as they proceeded to the helipad. The woman, Rukia Shiba, who Jake had spoken to, was arriving today on the ship to give some information to aid Jake's search. Marcus was more than disbelieving.

"There is no way in hell that this Shiba chick is Rukia Kuchiki. It's some insane and preposterous idea like the thing the Russians what was it…Anastasia!"

Jake was far to used to Marcus's rants to care at this point. Marcus determined to rant continued.

"She says she's Rukia Kuchiki right? Well listen to this smart ass, Rukia Kuchiki died on the Titanic when she was seventeen, if she lived she'd be over a hundred by now!"

"A hundred and one next month," Jack interjected to Marcus's rant. Marcus looked like he had been hit in the face by a heavy blunt object. He blinked twice and recovered, continuing his rant.

"So she's a very old god damn liar! I traced her back to the twenties; she was working as an actress in L.A., an actress! Her name was Rukia Kurosaki back then, she marries a guy named Shiba and they have a few kids, move to California, Shiba's dead and then what I ask you?"

"Everyone that knows about the diamond is either underground, underwater or on this ship Marcus and she knows," Jake snapped at Marcus. "I wanna hear what she's got to say. Now shut up before I smack you."

The wind whipped around the three men's faces as a giant G-13 helicopter landed on the helipad. As the giant rotors slowed to a stop both the helicopter and Ship's crews began unpacking the flying machine. They laid several suitcases and two large trunks on the deck. Marcus looked at Jake.

"Light traveler eh?" he asked as one of the crewmen handed him a goldfish bowl complete with two fish.

Now that they were out of the helicopter Arisa was pushing her grandmother Rukia in a wheelchair toward the cabin. Marcus looked at Jake again.

"You gotta be kidding me."

~*~*~

Arisa and Rukia were unpacking the suitcases and trunks in the stateroom when Jake went to check on them.

"Is this going to be alright?" he asked them. "It's the best we could do on such short notice."

"It's lovely," Rukia said arranging several framed photographs on the bedside table. "Have you met my granddaughter Arisa? She takes care of me."

"We met a few minutes ago, Obasan," Arisa said shaking Jake's hand as Marcus appeared behind Jake. "Up on deck."

Rukia had finished with her photos, sat back to admire the effect, and then turned to Jake and Marcus.

"There, I have to have my pictures when I travel, and my dog, Strawberry," Rukia explained petting the small dog on her lap.

"Is there anything we can get you?" Jake asked.

"Yes," Rukia answered. "I would like to see my drawing."

~*~*~*

Rukia peered into the tub of chemical water at the drawing with Arisa and Jake behind her. She smiled as though having a flashback and Jake held his reference photo next to the drawing.

"Louis XVI wore this, the blue diamond but is disappeared in 1792 about the same time he lost everything from the neck up. Theory goes the diamond was cut into a heart and dubbed '_La Coeur de la Mer_,' '_the Heart of the Ocean._' Today it's worth more than the Hope Diamond" Jake explained.

"I hated that thing," Rukia said simply. "It was dreadfully heavy that was the only time I ever wore it."

"You really think this is you Obasan?" Arisa asked skeptically.

"Yes Risa-chan," Rukia answered. "Just because Justin Timberlake wasn't around didn't mean I couldn't bring sexy back."

Ignoring the last comment Jake continued his explanation after subtly smacking Marcus who was doubled over in laughter.

"The diamond was tracked down through insurance records. A difficult task because of the amount of secrecy and security it was under. Rukia do you know who the claimant was?"

"Someone named Aizen I believe."

"Right, Sosuke Aizen, he bought it as an engagement gift you his fiancée, you, a week before the Titanic went down. Since then the claim was filed shortly after the sinking so my assumption is that the diamond had gone down with the ship," he turned to Arisa, "See the date?"

"April 14, 1912," she answered.

"If Mrs. Shiba is who she says she is she was wearing the diamond the day the Titanic sank making her my new best friend. I'll compensate anything that may lead to the discovery."

"I don't want your money Mr. Emmerson," Rukia said simply. "I know what it does to people."

"You don't want anything?" Marcus asked bluntly.

"I would like this," she said pointing to the drawing. "If anything I tell you is of value."

"Deal," Jake said shaking Rukia's hand and crossing over to the other side of the room. He wheeled a lab cart laden with several objects over. "We recovered these from your stateroom."

Rukia stared at the objects. With a trembling hand she picked up a tortoise shell hand mirror.

"My god," Rukia exclaimed. "This was mine, it looks just as I remember…" she flipped it over, stared at her reflection and put it back down. "…reflection's changed a bit." She turned her attention to a mother-of-pearl brooch.

"My sister's brooch," she explained. "She wanted to go back for it…caused quite a fuss." She examined the remaining items with a somber expression.

"Are you ready to go back to the Titanic?" Jake asked. Arisa wheeled Rukia into the computer room where Marcus was examining one of several monitors displaying live video feed from Hyuga one and its counterpart Hyuga twenty one thousand nine hundred and eighteen also called Hyuga two one nine one eight. (Don't ask)

"Check this out," Marcus said pointing to the various monitors. "Live from 12,000 feet under."

Rukia stared at the image of the sunken bow and was enthralled by it.

"The bow's completely stuck to the bottom, it's wedged between the silt I can show you a simulation of the…." Jake was making frantic movements to shut Marcus up.

"Ukia-ray, ight-may, ot-nay, ant-way, o-tay, ee-say, is-thay!" he hissed.

"I would like to see this, Mr. Emmerson," Rukia said sternly. No one else noticed Marcus's ecstatic expression as he fiddled with his computer and pulling up a fancy-looking program.

"Ok," he said narrating his program a mini-movie of the sinking, "She hits the berg on the starboard side and it kinda bumps her along, punching holes in it lose Morse code, dit, dit, dit, all down the side. Her forward compartments start flooding and she can float with the first four under and well five start flooding and her bow begins to pull under with all that extra weight. The stern starts rising like a see-saw until the bow's completely under and she's got her whole ass up in the air, and that's a big ass man, we're talking twenty to thirty thousand tons. Anyways with all that pressure the hull can't deal so what happens? SKRRTT, she splits right down to the keel, and the stern falls back level as the bow pulls away, pulling the stern almost at a ninety degree vertical. It bobs like a cork for a few minutes before it takes on enough water and goes under at about two twenty am. Two hours and forty minutes after the sinking.

"The bow kinds planes away and lands quite smoothly on the ocean floor, the stern implodes like a soda can and the current tears it apart and it lands looking like the cake I tried to bake for my girlfriend last valentine's day."

Marcus finished his explanation looking quite pleased with himself. Rukia looked unimpressed.

"Thank you for that Forensic analysis, Mr. Flint," Rukia said. "Though I assure you the real thing was much less clinical."

"Can you share it with us?" Jake asked as Rukia was overcome by emotion.

"I'm taking her to rest," Arisa said suddenly.

"No," Rukia snapped taking everyone by surprise. Jake motioned for quiet.

"Tell us," he asked quietly.

"It's been eighty-four years," Rukia started.

"Just tell us what you can," Jake started. Rukia put up a withered hand to silence him.

"It's been eighty four years, and I can still smell the fresh paint. The china had never been used; the sheets had never been slept in." Jake switched on a tape recorder and pushed it toward Rukia.

"Titanic was called 'The Ship of Dreams' and it was. It really was."

Elle: Major thanks to Ryo Muang who gave me the idea to use Aizen as Cal at the last second. So thanks!


	4. 3 April 10, 1912

**Chapter Three**

**Elle: **_arrhhhggg, I've been waiting for days to get this chapter up to my loyal readers and the site was being annoying!! Anyways I would have updated sooner but ya know school and sports and then the site not letting me log in…... Enjoy! ~Elle! _

_Southampton, England April 10, 1912_

The Titanic stood impressively over the dock in Southampton England. The date was April 10, 1912 and the Titanic was all set to set sail on her maiden voyage to America.

The air held a sense of giddiness and sadness as loved ones embraced in tearful goodbyes or gave wishes of "Bon voyage" to those already on the ship.

Cars and trucks moved various cargo items through the dense throng trying to load their contents onto the ship.

One car stopped in the middle of the throng to unload its cargo, several people. The First person out was the driver, wearing a black tuxedo and a cap covering his short grey hair and the brim hiding his narrow squinty eyes. There was an eerie air around this man. He opened the door to let out the first passenger, Rukia at age seventeen.

Rukia was short and was wearing an expensive purple and white outfit along with a giant feathered hat. She looked at the Titanic; the giant ship did not impress her.

"I don't see what all the fuss is about," she said coolly turning to the man who had just exited the car. "It doesn't look any bigger than the Mauretania."

The sun flashed on his square glasses. He wore an expensive light-brown suit and looked at Rukia. He ruffled his dark brown hair.

"You can be blasé about some things Rukia," he said. "But not about the Titanic, she's over a hundred feet longer than the Mauretania, and far more luxurious." He turned and offered his hand to the final passenger in the car. She looked exactly like Rukia but taller and slimmer.

"Hisana," the brown haired man said. "You're sister is far too difficult to please." He guided her over a puddle. "Mind your step."

"So, Sosuke," Hisana said staring up at the massive ship in front of them. "This is the ship they say is unsinkable?"

"It is unsinkable," Sosuke Aizen answered Hisana. "God himself could not sink this ship."

As the party of six (the other three members being Gin Ichimaru, Aizen's man slave…I mean valet, and Isane and Kiyone Kotetsu, Hisana and Rukia's maids) moved toward the ship a small black-haired White Star Line Official stood at the door to greet them.

"Sir," he said to Aizen in a high pitched voice. "You have to check your baggage through the main terminal…" Aizen slid two hundreds into the boy's hand.

"I'll leave that in your capable hands," he said indicating Ichimaru. "See my man."

"Yes sir," He squeaked not wanting to be alone with the creepy looking man. Ichimaru was carrying several trunks.

"I've got these here," Ichimaru said handing them to the boy. "And there are twelve more in the car."

The boy stared at the massive pile of luggage in front of him but Aizen paid no notice as he escorted Rukia and Hisana through the throng and onto the ship. Out of nowhere to young boys bumped into Aizen followed by their father. It was obvious that they were third class passengers.

"Sorry sir!" the father yelled at Aizen before chasing down his children.

"Steerage swine," Aizen spat. "He must have missed his annual bath."

"Honestly Sosuke," Hisana said disapprovingly. "If you hadn't waited until the last second we could have boarded with our kind instead of running around like a filthy steerage family."

"It's all part of my charm Hisana," Aizen replied. "However if you must blame someone it was my darling Rukia's beauty rituals that made us late."

"You told me to change," Rukia said defensively.

"I couldn't let you wear black on sailing day," Aizen replied. "It's bad luck."

"I like black," Rukia said stiffly as Aizen guided them away from the loading dock.

"I have pulled every string in the book to get us on the grandest ship in history and you act like you've been sentenced to your execution." Aizen said he grabbed Rukia's arm possessively and dragged her onto the massive ship.

"_It was the ship of dreams to everyone else. To me it was a slave ship taking me back to America in chains. Outwardly I was everything a well brought up girl should be, but inside I was screaming."_

~*~*~*~*~

The Titanic was visible through the smoky windows of a nearby pub. Dock workers and crewmen were sipping last minutes drinks before boarding themselves.

In the corner four men sat at a square table deeply immersed in poker game. Coins and bills from four countries along with two third class tickets to get on the Titanic were in the center of the table.

One man with short spiky orange hair looked at his hand and skillfully hid his excitement. His friend with brilliant red hair kept glancing at his hand nervously. Their opponents glanced at each other.

"Naruto you dumbass," the black haired man hissed at the blond. "Why'd you bet our tickets?"

"You lost our money stupid," Naruto hissed at his friend, Sasuke Uchiha. "I'm trying to get it back. Now shut up and draw."

"Hit me again, Sasuke," the orange haired man said jauntily as he drew a card. His red haired friend refused another card nervously. In the distance the Titanic's warning whistle sounded.

"Moment of truth boys," the orange haired said earnestly. "Somebody's life's about to change." The redhead put his cards down. Naruto and Sasuke followed. The orange haired looked at their hands.

"Hmm, Renji you got neinte, Naruto, you ain't got shit, Sasuke…hmm…uh oh two pair…hmm….sorry Renji."

"What the hell Ichigo!" the redhead, Renji Abarai yelled causing the whole pub to go quiet. "You lost my money?!"

"You ain't gonna be seeing your mama again for a long time," Ichigo said smugly slapping his hand on the table. "Cuz we're going to America. FULL HOUSE BOYS!"

"Hell yeah," Renji agreed slapping Ichigo on the back as the two of them began to dance around the pub.

"Sorry boys," Ichigo said raking the money into his bag. "Three of a kind and a pair. I'm high and you're dry and…" he turned to Renji. "We're going to…" they both jumped on the table. "AMERICA!"

Sasuke grabbed Ichigo's shirt and balled a huge fist. At the last second Sasuke turned and slammed Naruto right in the face. Forgotten by Ichigo and Renji who were dancing around the pub Sasuke pounded Naruto into a bloody pulp. (A/N Poor Naruto…sorry Naruto fans!)

"It's destiny!" Renji yelled. "I'm going to America and I'm gonna make a load of money! I'm going to America!"

"No mate!" The pub keeper yelled at Renji. "Titanic go to America in five minutes!" both men stopped dancing.

"Shit," Ichigo muttered grabbing Renji's arm and they darted out of the pub and onto the busy street. They raced past people and stopped dead as the massive hull of the Titanic loomed over them. After several seconds of staring they raced up the third class gangway as Sixth officer Hanataro Yamada was closing the door.

"Wait," Ichigo yelled as they reached the threshold. "We're passengers" he added waving the boarding passes in Hanataro's face

"Have you been through the inspection queue?" Hanataro asked checking the passes.

"Uh yeah, besides we're Americans we don't have lice," Ichigo lied, Renji nodded in agreement. Hanataro stared at both of them.

"Very well," he said letting them both on as another officer recorded their names.

"Uchiha," he said looking at Ichigo. "And Uzumaki?"

"Uh right," Ichigo said pulling Renji along. "Let's go Naruto."

The two raced down the corridor whooping in excitement and grinning from ear to ear.

"We're the luckiest sons-of-bitches in the world," Ichigo yelled punching Renji's shoulder as they ran onto the top deck.

The ship was starting to pull out of the dock when Ichigo and Renji reached the rail. Ichigo started waving vigorously at the crowd.

"You know someone?" Renji asked.

"Of course not," Ichigo snapped at him. "That's not the point."

He continued cheering to the crowd and Renji joined in.

Later the two of them made their way to their stateroom on one of the lover decks. People from various countries past them yelling in various languages. They found the room and entered it and were greeted by Naruto and Sasuke's friends Kiba and Shino.

Renji threw his things on the top bunk and climbed onto it making Ichigo annoyed.

"Who says you get to be seme eh?" he asked throwing his things in the bottom. Kiba looked at Shino.

"Where's Sasuke?"

**Elle:** _oh by the way, I have been using the screenplay I got off the internet to write this fanfiction so the lines and actions are a bit off, sorry. I also did watch the movie recently so I'm trying to edit as best I can. Thanks ~Elle_


	5. 4 Fateful Sightings

**Chapter Four**

**Elle:** _hey all just wanted to take this space to say that all real people will be portrayed as Bleach characters for purposes of this fic. I mean no disrespect to the real people on the Titanic especially the super important people. This is a fanfic where anything is possible. Thanks! ~Elle_

The suite Rukia was in was the complete opposite from Ichigo and Renji's. It was Huge, lavish and was more like a small two bedroom apartment as opposed to a stateroom.

Kiyone poured Rukia a glass of sake as Rukia looked through her collection of famous painting. Aizen sauntered into the room and watched Rukia disapprovingly.

"Those doodles you call art were certainly a waste of money," he said taking a sip of Merlot. Rukia held up a painting of dancers by Degas and examined it.

"You're wrong," Rukia said coolly now exchanging the Degas for a Picasso. "They're fascinating like truth without logic. What is his name…?" she scanned the corner of the painting for a name. "Something Picasso."

"He'll never amount to a thing," Aizen said. "At least they were cheap. Put that in the wardrobe," he added as Hanataro Yamada wheeled in the safe.

Rukia picked up her Degas and walked into the bedroom where Kiyone was muttering to herself. Aizen appeared in the doorway and Kiyone left quickly as Rukia set the painting down. Aizen came up behind her and put his hands on her shoulders possessively.

A few days later the ship let on some new passengers, among them a busty woman with long strawberry blonde hair. She walked briskly carrying a heavy suitcase in each hand followed by Hanataro who was staggering under the weight of a giant trunk.

"Well I wasn't about to wait for you boy," she said as Hanataro caught up to her panting and sweating. "Take these up stairs will you?"

"_At Cherbourg a woman came aboard named Rangiku Matsumoto, but we simply called her Rangiku. History would call her 'the unsinkable Rangiku Matsumoto.' Her husband had struck gold someplace out west and was what my sister called 'New Money'_

"_By the next afternoon we had made our final stops and were steaming off the coast of Ireland, with nothing ahead of us but ocean."_

Later that afternoon Ichigo and Renji decided to explore the ship to get out of their stateroom. They ran out onto the bow, as far as they could go with out diving into the water.

Unknown to them the ship's captain Byakuya Kuchiki watched the two young boys with a look of power on his face. First officer Uryu Ishida was standing next to him.

"Take her to the seas Mr. Ishida, let's stretch her legs."

Ishida ran across the bridge and called for the order given by the captain. The crew down in the boiler room supervised by the master architect Jushiro Ukitake revved up the engines. A message was sent back up to the bridge and Ishida relayed it back to Byakuya.

"Twenty-one knots sir!" he said proudly as Hanataro Yamada appeared with a cup of tea and a lemon wedge.

Meanwhile back at the bow, Ichigo and Renji watched two dolphins swim by the massive ship in amazement. Ichigo spread out his arms and let the wind blow his hair back. He let out and exhilarating screw.

"I'm King of the world!"

"I can see the Statue of Liberty already," Renji joked pointing out into the vast ocean. "Very small of course."

"She's the largest moving object ever made by man," a young man said at lunch one afternoon. "And our master ship builder Jushiro Ukitake designed her from the keel plates up."

Ukitake, the other man, along with, Rukia, Aizen, Hisana, and Rangiku all sat at the same table.

"I may have put her together," Ukitake said modestly. "But the idea was Mr. Urahara's. He envisioned a steamer so grand in scale, so luxurious in its appointments that its supremacy would never be challenged and here she is," he slammed his had on the table. "Willed into solid reality."

"Why are ships always being called 'she'?" Rangiku asked. "Is it because men think that half the women around have big sterns and should be measured in tonnage?" The group laughed. "Just another example of men setting things their way."

The waiters had arrived to take the orders. Rukia lit a cigarette and Hisana looked at her disapprovingly.

"You know I don't like that Rukia."

"She knows," Aizen said taking the cigarette and stubbing it out. He turned to the waiter. "We'll both have the lamb, rare, with a little mint sauce." The waiter went to go place the order and Aizen turned to Rukia.

"You like lamb, don't you darling?"

Rangiku watched as Rukia nodded in agreement.

"You gonna cut her meat for her too there Sosuke?" She asked. Without waiting for an answer she turned to Urahara. "Who came up with the name Titanic, was it you Kisuke?"

"Yes actually," he answered. "I wanted to convey sheer size. And size means stability, luxury and safety."

"Do you know of Dr. Freud?" Rukia asked. "His ideas about the male preoccupation with size might be of particular interest to you, Mr. Urahara."

Ukitake choked oh a breadstick trying not to laugh.

"My god, Rukia," Hisana exclaimed. "What on earth…?"

"Excuse me," Rukia said slamming her napkin down on the table and leaving quickly.

"I'm sorry for that," Hisana said to Urahara as Rukia stalked off.

"She's a pistol Sosuke," Rangiku said lightly. "You sure you can handle her?"

Aizen looked tense for a moment before he shook it off.

"I may have to start minding what she reads from now on," he said nonchalantly. "Who is Freud?" Urahara asked looking around, clearly not getting the joke. "Is he a passenger on the ship?"

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Pencil in hand sketchbook in lap Ichigo was in his own little world fascinated as he drew a man and his daughter watching the ocean as it flew past the ship. Renji was ignoring Ichigo as usual and was deep in conversation with the man standing next to the bench where they were sitting.

"It's a good strong ship," he told Renji. "Built by strong Irish hands."

He paused as Hanataro was dragged by by a Great Dane and two Chihuahuas. The man looked at Renji and shook his head.

"That's typical," he said. "The First Class dogs come here to take a shit." Ichigo looked up from his drawing.

"That's so we know where we rank in the scheme of things," he said simply adding the finishing touches on his drawing and setting down his pencil. Ichigo held out his hand to the stranger. "I'm Ichigo Kurosaki."

"Toshiro Hitsugaya," the man answered shaking his hand and turning to shake Renji's.

"Renji Abarai," Renji answered with a firm handshake. Ichigo's attention had drifted again and he was staring at the elevated deck above them.

A young woman had come up to the railing and was staring out into the ocean. She had long silky black hair and violet eyes that scanned the surrounding decks. They locked with Ichigo's for a brief second before they turned to the man that had appeared behind her. He was much taller and his light brown hair blew in the breeze. They argued for a few moments before the woman walked away in a huff. The man followed angrily.

Renji smacked Ichigo upside the head.

"Forget it," Toshiro said. "You'd have angels fly outta your ass before you can get next to her."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"_I saw my whole life as I'd already lived it, an endless parade of parties and cotillions, yachts and polo matches always the same narrow people the same mindless chatter. I felt like I was standing at a great precipice with no one to pull me back, no one who cared or noticed."_

Rukia sat between Hisana and Aizen at dinner that night. They were laughing and having the time of their lives. Rukia was miserable. She paid little attention to the mindless chatter around her and more to the fork that she was digging into her skin under the table.

After dinner she ran into her stateroom and began to rip off all of her expensive jewelry. She flung everything off her dresser in a furious rage. She picked the hand mirror off the floor and stared at her reflection. She felt shallow and vain and smashed the mirror on the ground. Furious with herself she turned to the vanity and punched the mirror.

Shards of glass flew everywhere digging into Rukia's skin. She fell to the floor panting, clutching her bleeding hand as hot angry tears streamed down her face.

Breaking things wasn't enough, she wanted to run, run away, and run far away, away from her fiancé, Sosuke Aizen, her sister, Hisana and all of their equally shallow friends. She wanted to run until there was nowhere else to run.

And that's exactly what she did.


	6. 5 Don't Let Go

**Chapter Five**

Still in her evening attire Rukia ran at full sprint in heels and tears down the B deck promenade. She was a wreck, both physically and emotionally and she didn't stop when she ran right into an older couple. Her vision was blurred and face tear streaked. The couple watched her retreating back in shock.

The stern was deserted when Rukia finally reached it. Deserted except for Ichigo who was lying on one of the benches gazing up at the stars. Rukia ran right past him desperate to get away. Her clicking heels jostled Ichigo's thoughts and he sat up to see her start climbing over the rail on the back of the ship.

Rukia climbed over the rail and was leaning toward the water her hands itching to let go, to let go of the confinement and free herself of it. She closed her eyes.

"Don't do it," Ichigo said from behind her. Rukia whipped her head around to see the steerage man standing there his hand outstretched as if to pull her back.

"Stay back!" she yelled at him, "Don't come any closer!"

Ichigo took a closer look at her face; her make up was running leaving trails of black on her pale skin. He held out his hand toward her.

"Take my hand," he advised, "I'll pull you back in."

"NO!" Rukia shrieked. "Stay where you are! I mean it! I'll-I'll let go!"

"No you won't," Ichigo said curtly. Rukia blinked in shock.

"What do you mean 'no I won't'?" She demanded. "Don't presume to tell me what I will and will not do! You don't know me!"

"You would've done it already," Ichigo said matter-of-factly still holding out his hand. Rukia looked back into the water.

"You're distracting me," she yelled. "Go away." Ichigo sighed and began to pull off his jacket.

"Can't," he said simple. "I'm involved now, you jump and I'm gonna jump in after you."

"Don't be an idiot, you'd be killed."

"I can swim," he said unlacing his left shoe.

"The fall alone would kill you," Rukia argued.

"It would hurt," Ichigo said thoughtfully. "A lot, I'm not denying that. My main concern is the water being as cold as it is."

Reality was staring to dawn on Rukia as Ichigo pulled off his shoe and began to untie the other one.

"How cold," she asked.

"Freezing, maybe a few degrees over," Ichigo said pulling off his other shoe. "Ever been to Wisconsin?"

Rukia looked perplexed at this question. "No."

"Well they have some of the coldest winters around. I grew up there near Chippewa Falls. Once when I was a kid, I went ice fishing with my dad. Ice fishing, that's when you…"

"I know what ice fishing is!" Rukia snapped.

"Ok relax, you just seem like an indoor girl, so anyway I fell through some thin ice and let me tell you that water is damn cold. Like that there," He pointed to the ocean. "It stabs you like a thousand knives all over your body. You can't breathe, you can't think, at least not nothing except the pain.

"That's why I'm really hoping you see my logic and come back over."

"You're crazy," Rukia concluded.

"Coming from the one hanging off the back of a ship," Ichigo laughed. Once again he held out his hand. "Come back over you don't want to do this."

Rukia took his hand this time and let his intertwine his fingers with hers. An electric current ran through her entire body as she let him guide her back over.

"I'm Ichigo, Ichigo Kurosaki," Ichigo said helping her over.

"Rukia Kuchiki," Rukia said in response.

"That's a mouthful," he laughed, "Can you write that down for me?"

Rukia let her concentration go at the wrong moment her smooth heel got caught on her dress and she plunged toward the ocean.

"HELP ME!" she screamed. Ichigo held onto her hand but he could feel her slipping.

"I've got you," he yelled back at her. Rukia tried to pull her self back over but once again slipped. Rukia let out a blood-curdling scream.

"I've got you," Ichigo said trying to comfort her. He could see the blind panic in her face and tired not to panic himself. "I won't let go."

He gave a huge heave and pulled her back over the rail. They landed with a thud back on the deck and Ichigo rolled over on top of Rukia slightly.

"Thank you," she panted.

Hanataro Yamada and Uryu Ishida were patrolling the deck when they heard the scream and raced toward the stern. When they got there they saw Ichigo and Rukia in a tangled heap on the deck and began to draw conclusions.

"You," Uryu yelled at Ichigo. He leapt off Rukia. "Stay there and don't move and inch, fetch Colonel Mustang, Yamada."

A few minutes later Ichigo was handcuffed by Colonel Roy Mustang. Aizen flanked by Ichimaru was beyond furious. He stood in front of Ichigo fuming.

"What made a scumbag like you think you could put your hands on my fiancée?" he snarled slapping Ichigo across the face. "Look at me dirt bag, what the hell were you thinking?"

"Sosuke stop it!" Rukia interjected. Ichimaru had put a thick woolen blanket around her shoulders. "It was an accident!"

"An accident?!" Aizen said disbelievingly.

"Yes," Rukia said catching Ichigo's eye. "I was leaning over to see the uhh the umm…"

"Propellers?" Mustang added helpfully.

"Uh yeah those!" Rukia said quickly. "I was leaning over to see the propellers and I slipped and I would have gone overboard but Mr. Kurosaki here saved me almost going over himself."

"You wanted to see the propellers," Aizen said blankly.

"Women and machinery don't mix," Mustang said shaking his head. He turned to Ichigo. "Was that the way of it?"

Rukia nodded at Ichigo.

"Yup, Ms. Rukia pretty much summed it up," he said. Mustang clapped him on the shoulder.

"Then the boy's a hero then, good job son," he turned to Aizen. "Back to the Sake eh then?"

"Come on," Aizen said to Rukia. "Let's get you inside your freezing."

"Perhaps a little something for the boy?" Mustang hissed as Aizen. He turned to Ichimaru.

"Right, Gin a twenty should do it."

"Is that the going rate for saving the woman you love?" Rukia asked Aizen. He sighed.

"Rukia is displeased," he said thoughtfully. He pondered for a moment before he came up wit something. "I know! Perhaps Mr. Kurosaki could join us for dinner tomorrow evening, to regale our group with your heroic tale."

"Sure why not?" Ichigo answered as Aizen, Rukia and the others left.

"Hey Ichimaru," Ichigo called. "Got a smoke?" Ichimaru pulled a sleek cigarette case from his breast pocket. Ichigo put one in his mouth and the other behind his ear.

"You may want to tie those," Ichimaru said pointing to Ichigo's shoes. "Strange, young mistress Rukia slipped so suddenly and you still had time to remove your jacket and your shoes."

Ichigo shrugged as Ichimaru walked away.


	7. 6 Gifts

**Chapter Six**

Rukia was in her stateroom sitting at the vanity later that night getting ready for bed. She pulled her hair out of the bun and noticed Aizen standing in the cracked mirror.

"I know you've been melancholy," he said gently. "Yet you give me no indication why." He was carrying a black velvet case under his arm. Aizen laid it on his arm and opened the case revealing a brilliant necklace. A large blue stone was set into a platinum chain encrusted with diamonds. Rukia stared at it numbly.

"I was planning on giving you this after the engagement ceremony in New York but I felt you needed a reminder of my feelings for you."

The blue stone glittered in the light and Rukia ran her fingers over it.

"Is it a sapphire?" she asked awestruck.

"Diamond, 56 carats," Aizen replied putting the necklace around her neck. The dark stone stood out against her pale skin. "Louis the sixteenth wore this, la Coeur de la mer, the…"

"The heart of the ocean," Rukia finished. She was overwhelmed by the diamond. It felt more like a dog collar than a necklace. She felt owned, not loved. "Sosuke, it's overwhelming."

"It's for royalty," Aizen said, his lips at Rukia's ear. "And we are royalty. There's nothing I couldn't give you, nothing I would deny you. Open your heart to me Rukia."

~*~*~*~*

The next day Rukia sought Ichigo out in the steerage holds. They walked along the A deck promenade ignoring the stares of the well dressed first class passengers. They had no idea what a steerage boy was doing with the first class princess. Ichigo felt self conscious.

"Mr. Kurosaki," Rukia began but Ichigo cut her off.

"Ichigo, call me Ichigo please."

"Ichigo, I feel like such an idiot, it took me all morning to summon the nerve to talk to you."

"Well you're here aren't you?" Ichigo asked with a soft smile. Rukia blushed.

"Well yes, I…" she dropped to her knee in a deep bow. Many of the passengers stared in shock as Rukia held her pose for several seconds before she stood up and dusted her dress off. "I wanted to say thank you, not just for pulling me back but, also for your discretion."

"No problem," Ichigo replied bowing awkwardly to Rukia.

"I know what you must be thinking," Rukia said. "Poor little rich girl, what does she know about misery?"

"That's not it at all, what I was thinking was what had hurt this girl so much she felt she had no way out?" Ichigo responded truthfully.

"Well it wasn't just one thing," Rukia said walking down the deck. Ichigo followed her. "It was all of them, everything, I was trapped. I wanted to get as far away as possible but even the Titanic wasn't big enough.

"I'm an idiot," Rukia admitted. Ichigo looked into her violet eyes.

"This Aizen guy is he one of them?"

"He's their ringleader, unfortunately," she showed him her engagement ring, a large diamond set into a platinum band. Ichigo looked at it in shock.

"Damn look at that thing," he exclaimed. "You'dve gone straight to the bottom, no kidding."

"Two hundred invitations have already gone out and meanwhile I feel like I'm standing in a crowded room screaming at the top of my lungs and no one will listen."

"So you basically feel like you're stuck in the seventh circle of hell and you can't get out because you're gonna marry this Aizen guy?"

"Yes exactly!" Rukia exclaimed. Finally someone got it.

"Don't marry him!" Ichigo told her. Rukia's face fell.

"I wish it were that simple," she sighed.

"It is that simple," Ichigo said indignantly.

Looking for a change of subject Rukia grabbed Ichigo's sketchbook out from under his arm.

"What is this silly thing that you're always carrying around?" she asked flipping though his works. "What are you some kind of artist?" she sat down on a deck chair and continued flipping through his works. "These are good, very good actually."

"They didn't think much of them in ol' Paree," Ichigo said bitterly sitting down in a chair next to hers.

"You are quite the traveler, for a po—" Rukia started but she stopped thinking she'd offend him.

"Go ahead say it," Ichigo teased. "I'm poor."

Rukia laughed as she continued going through his sketches. She had come across a series of nudes, mostly of the same woman. A couple of officers walked past and Rukia held the book up to hide the drawings.

"Are these drawn from life?" she asked a faint blush coming into her cheeks.

"Great thing about Paris, lots a girls willing to take their clothes off," Ichigo responded.

"You liked this woman," Rukia stated, "You've used her several times."

"She had beautiful hands," Ichigo said nonchalantly. Rukia smirked.

"I think you might have had a love affair with her," Rukia teased.

"No just with her hands!" Ichigo defended. "She had a great sense of humor though, oh and that woman," he indicated a drawing of another woman. She was older and fully dressed, sitting at a table, with several glasses around her. "She used to come into the same bar every night wearing every piece of jewelry she owned waiting for her long lost love."

"You have a gift Ichigo," Rukia concluded handing Ichigo his sketchbook. "You see people."

"I see you," he said quietly.

"And?"

"You wouldn't have jumped."


	8. 7 And Spit Like A Man

**Chapter Seven**

Hisana was having tea with the Countess Retsu Unohana during lunch that day. She was talking to some of the other women at the table when out of the corner of her eye she noticed Rangiku come walking over.

"Oh dear god, here comes that vulgar Matsumoto woman," she told the others with a shudder. "Get up quickly before she sits with us."

Rangiku came over to the table with a huge smile on her face.

"Hello girls I was hoping to catch you at tea," she said brightly.

"I'm awfully sorry," Hisana said with a fake sigh. "You missed it, Retsu-san and I were about to catch some air up on deck."

"I'll join you then," Rangiku smiled. "I need to catch up on the gossip."

Hisana gritted her teeth as they walked past the captain, and Urahara talking over lunch.

"Byakuya," Urahara said taking a crumpet from the platter, "You haven't lit the last four boilers yet."

"I know that," Byakuya said calmly stirring a lump of sugar into his tea.

"Captain, the press knows of her size let them marvel at her speed," Urahara pressed.

"I don't want to press the engines until they are properly run-in."

"Well you do have the final say but don't you want to retire in style? Go down with a bang?"

Byakuya ignored Urahara and continued to sip his tea.

Meanwhile Ichigo and Rukia had continued their conversation while pacing the ship's deck. Rukia felt lighter than she had in years. It was easy to talk to Ichigo; he was so down to earth and so real. Rukia wished she wasn't engaged to Sosuke. She liked Ichigo so much better.

Ichigo was telling Rukia how he grew up and how he turned to art.

"So there was this pier in Santa Monica," Ichigo explained. "I loved it there, they had a roller coaster, huge and I sketched portraits for ten cents each."

"Ten cents?" Rukia asked indignantly.

"Yeah," Ichigo continued "It was great; I could make a whole dollar in the summer. In the winter I decided to go over to Paris and see what the real artists were doing."

"Why can't I be like you Ichigo?" Rukia asked. "To be able to get up and go whenever I feel like it why can't I do that? I want to go to that pier."

"Then we're going," Ichigo finalized, "even if we only ever talk about it. We'll drink cheap beer and ride on the roller coaster until we puke and ride horses on the beach, the real way none of this side saddle stuff."

"You mean one leg on each side? Scandalous," Rukia said her eyes widening. "Can you show me?"

"Sure," Ichigo replied with a smile. "I'll show you how to ride like a man."

It was Rukia's turn to grin.

"And spit like a man," she joked

"What?' Ichigo asked. "They didn't teach you that in finishing school?" He dragged her over to a railing and looked out toward the water. "Come on it's easy."

He hawked a loogie and spit it out across the water.

"You try."

Rukia let out a rather pathetic little dribble that rolled down her chin. She wiped it off and Ichigo shook his head.

"That was pitiful," he said simply. "See look you gotta kinda hawk it back…HHNNK…then roll it on your tongue…like this…then take a deep breath and PLOOW! You see the range on that thing?"

Rukia began to follow Ichigo's instructions as he coached her through it. A large hunk of gob came flying out of Rukia's mouth and flew into the water. Ichigo clapped her on the shoulder and the two began to hawk loogies into the ocean. Rukia laughed and spotted her sister out of the corner of her eye. She instantly composed herself.

"Sister!" Rukia exclaimed. "My I introduce you to Ichigo Kurosaki?"

"Charmed I'm sure," Hisana said coolly. Rangiku and Retsu were also with Hisana. Rangiku noticed that Ichigo had a wad of spit still on his face and she motioned for him to wipe it off.

"_The others were gracious and curious about the man who had saved my life. My sister looked at him like an insect, a dangerous insect that must be squashed quickly." _

"Well," Rangiku said when introduction had concluded. "Ichigo you seem like a good man to have in a sticky spot eh?"

Suddenly a bugle began to ring out all along the ship, making the women and Ichigo jump.

"Why do they always insist on announcing dinner like a damn cavalry charge?" Rangiku asked Hisana. Rukia turned to Ichigo as they walked away.

"I'll see you at dinner."

Rangiku watched Hisana fuss over Rukia before she turned to Ichigo. She studied the boy as he tried to get a last glimpse of Rukia as she left. His attention was else where.

"Boy," Rangiku snapped. Ichigo came back to reality. "Do you have any idea what you're getting yourself into?"

"Not really, no."

"Well, you're about to go into the snake pit, I hope your ready." She studied his outfit deeming his third class attire was not appropriate for the first class dinner. "What are you planning to wear?"

Ichigo looked down at his clothes and back up at Rangiku. He hadn't though about that.

"Thought so," Rangiku muttered.


	9. 8 A Formal Dinner

**Chapter Eight**

**Elle: **_I'm sorry I haven't updated in a while, between everything I'm doing I barley had time to check my emails let alone sit down for an hour to type a chapter. So here is the much anticipated chapter eight, and hopefully I'll get nine up soon._

Rangiku had taken Ichigo up to her stateroom in order to dress him properly for dinner. Ichigo assumed the role of a life-sized Ken doll and Rangiku enjoyed changing his outfit at least seven times before she settled on something. She disappeared to go find the jacket that went with the pants Ichigo was currently wearing, leaving the poor boy alone to figure out how to tie a bow tie.

Rangiku returned several minutes later with the jacket and helped Ichigo slip into it.

"I was right," she exclaimed turning Ichigo around so he could see himself in the mirror. "You and my son are about the same size."

"Pretty close," Ichigo agreed looking at himself in the mirror. He had given up on the bow tie and Rangiku took to tying it. She finished in a few seconds. Finally Rangiku smoothed out all the creases in Ichigo's jacket and stood back to admire the effect.

"You clean up good boy," she complemented.

At sunset Ichigo made his way up to the First Class dining area. He looked badass in his tuxedo and his hair slicked back. He felt like a spy as he past other First Class passengers. They didn't give him a second look and assumed he was one of them.

While waiting for Rukia and the others Ichigo leaned against a pole at the foot of the Grand Staircase. HE noticed how the other gentlemen held themselves and copied their stance, one hand behind the back the other escorting the lady. He didn't have a lady so he stood up tall with this left hand behind his back.

Aizen descended the Marble and oak staircase with Hisana on his arm. She was covered in expensive jewels and clothes. They were talking quietly to each other. Aizen nodded at Ichigo politely and continued walking. He didn't recognize the man he had invited last night.

As Aizen past him Ichigo looked back up at the staircase and almost fell over in shock. Rukia descended the staircase wearing a low-cut black and red dress and long white gloves that extended past her elbows. Her silky black hair was elaborately pinned up and glittered with the diamonds wrapped in it.

She met Ichigo at the bottom of the staircase and extended her arm. He took her hand, brought it up to his mouth and kissed the back of her fingers.

"I saw that in a nickelodeon once," he whispered. "And I always wanted to do it."

Rukia beamed at him.

"Sosuke," she said lightly tapping Aizen's arm to get his attention. "You remember Mr. Kurosaki don't you?"

"Kurosaki!" Aizen exclaimed. "I didn't recognize you. You could almost pas for a gentleman."

"Yeah, almost," Ichigo replied.

The party headed into the dining room and met Rangiku on the way. She smiled at Ichigo and took his other arm.

"Nothing to it eh Kurosaki?" she asked. "Remember they love money so act like you own a gold mine and you're in…Hey Kyoraku!"

They entered the dining area and Rukia pointed out all of the propionate figures in first class.

"There's the Countess Retsu Unohana, she was with Sister earlier today. Over there is Shunsui Kyoraku, the richest man on the ship. His little wifey there Nanao is my age and in a delicate condition…see how's she's trying to hide it? Quite the scandal. There is Lady Soi Fon and Lady Yoruichi…the latter designs naughty lingerie among her many talents…quite popular among the nobles"

Aizen was paying more attention to his conversation than to his fiancée. Not that Rukia cared much. She was enjoying poking fun at all the shallow people to Ichigo.

"Well Sosuke," a man named Ulquiorra Schiffer said eyeing Rukia like a show horse. "She is splendid."

"Thank you," Aizen said with a nod.

"Sosuke's a lucky man," Colonel Mustang put in. "And I know him well it can only be luck."

"How can you say that Colonel?" Hisana asked. "Sosuke Aizen is a great catch."

"Shunsui, Nanao," Rukia politely interrupted their conversation. "I'd like you to meet Ichigo Kurosaki."

"Good to meet you Ichigo," Shunsui said. "Are you of the Boston Kurosakis?"

"No the Chippewa Falls Kurosakis actually," Ichigo answered with a polite smile. Nanao eyed him when he wasn't looking and turned to Rukia.

"It's a pity we're both spoken for isn't it?"

Rukia led Ichigo toward the table and they sat down. Rukia sat next to Aizen and Ukitake. Rangiku sat next to Ichigo and Ukitake.

"_He must have been nervous but he never faltered. They assumed he was one of them, heir to a railroad fortune or something. New money but money nonetheless. But you could always count on my sister to bring about the darkness in any situation."_

"So," Hisana said from between Mustang and Aizen. "Tell us about the accommodations of the steerage MR. Kurosaki."

"Best I've seen," Ichigo answered taking a breadstick out of the basket. "Hardly any rats."

Rukia watched Ichigo out of the corner of her eye and motioned for him to place the cloth napkin on his lap. He followed her nonverbal instruction.

"Mr. Kurosaki is joining us from third class," Aizen explained to the table. "He was of so assistance to my fiancée last night." Many of the other passengers looked at Aizen like he was crazy.

The waiters had come around and began to serve caviar to the diners. One of them came over to Ichigo.

"How do you take your caviar sir?" he asked.

"No caviar for me," Ichigo said quietly catching Rukia's eye. "Never did like it much."

"Where exactly do you live Mr. Kurosaki?" Hisana asked.

"At the moment my address is the RMS Titanic, after that I'm on God's good humor."

"You find that sort of rootless existence appealing do you?"

"It's a big world and I want to see as much of it as I can before I go. My parents died when I was fifteen and I've been on my own ever since. The one thing I've learned is to take life as it comes to you, to make it count. Last night I was sleeping under a bridge and now I'm up here having champagne with you fine people."

"Well said Ichigo," Rangiku said nodding in agreement. Rukia raised her glass in salute of his words.

"To making it count," she toasted.

"To making it count," the table rumbled lifting their glasses. The glasses of Aizen and Hisana remained untouched. Hisana's eyes were cold; she was determined to put Ichigo down.

"How is it you have the means to travel, Mr. Kurosaki?"

"I work my way from place to place," Ichigo answered seamlessly. "Tramp steamers and such, I won my ticket here on RMS Titanic in a lucky hand in Poker," he shot a glance toward Rukia. "A very lucky hand."

"All life is a game of luck," Mustang concluded.

"A real man makes his own luck, Roy," Aizen said. Unlike the other first class passengers he was completely unimpressed by Ichigo's little speech.

By that time the waiters had already began to bring out the main course for dinner. Ichigo looked down at the lavish place setting in front of him. It was way more than he was used to.

"Is all this for me?" He whispered to Rangiku motioning toward the salad, crab and dinner forks. She smiled at his confused expression

"Start from the outside and work your way in," she advised him.

Ukitake was subdued from the dinner chatter completely immersed in his little black notebook.

"Mr. Ukitake," Rukia said determined to bring him into the conversation. "I see you everywhere with this little notebook." She grabbed it from his hand and scanned the page he was on and read aloud. "'Increase the number of screws from two to three' Mr. Ukitake, you build the grandest ship in all of mankind and this preoccupies you?"

"You know every rivet in her don't you Jushiro?" Urahara asked a sheepish Jushiro.

"All three million of them."

"He put his blood and soul into this ship," Urahara continued. "She may be mine on paper but in the eyes of God she belongs to Jushiro Ukitake."

"Your ship is truly a wonder Mr. Ukitake," Rukia said smiling, handing Jushiro back his notebook.

When dinner was finished the waiters pushed carts of cigars and brandy toward the tables.

"Next it'll be brandies and cigars in the smoking room," Rukia said in a low voice to Ichigo. As if on cue Mustang stood up and Rukia suppressed a giggle.

"Join me for a brandy gentlemen?"

"Now they retreat into a cloud of smoke and congratulate each other for being masters of the universe," Rukia said quietly as Mustang turned to Ichigo.

"Care to join us Mr. Kurosaki?" he asked "Surely you don't want to stay out here with the women?"

"No thanks," Ichigo declined politely. "I'd best be off."

"That's probably best," Aizen told Ichigo. "All business and politics, probably wouldn't interest you much."

The first class men walked out of the dining room and Ichigo stood up as well. Rukia's face fell slightly.

"Must you go?" she asked him as he took her hand again.

"Time for my coach to turn back into a pumpkin," he answered kissing the back of her hand again. He pulled away slowly. Rukia watched him leave before she noticed that he had slipped a piece of paper into her hand. When her sister wasn't looking Rukia unfolded it under the table.

"_Make it count, meet me at the clock." _ Was scrawled across it. Rukia politely excused herself from the table.

In his own little world Ichigo was examining the ornate carvings around the clock at the height of the Grand Staircase when Rukia ascended it. He turned almost as if he sensed her being there.

"So," he asked with a smirk crossing his face. "You wanna go to a real party?"


	10. 9 Party Harder

**Chapter Nine**

**Elle: **_after finally being able to finish the story I have decided that I am going to update 2-3 chapters every few days. Now that sports are almost done and I have my own computer I should be able to update faster_

The third class passengers were having a loud and boisterous celebration in the lower decks. They were playing loud cheery music and many were dancing on and off the beat. Rukia sat at a scrubbed wooden table clapping in time with the music and watching Ichigo dance with a small pink haired girl. The song ended and Rukia clapped harder and Ichigo caught her eye.

"I'm gonna dance with her now," he told the girl and pointing at Rukia. The girl's face fell slightly. "You're still my best girl Yachiru."

Rukia got out of her seat and stood next to Ichigo as the band began to play the next song.

"I have no idea what I'm doing," Rukia told Ichigo. He put his arms around her and pulled her in closer to him.

"That's ok," Ichigo said starting to lead Rukia in a dance. "I don't either, just go with it."

They danced together for the duration of the song. Out of the corner of her eye Rukia saw Renji dancing with a pretty blonde girl. When their current song ended, Toshiro sought out Ichigo and Rukia. He had a pint of beer for each of them. Ichigo took a modest sip and turned to watch Rukia chug half of her glass in one gulp.

"What?" she asked nonchalantly as Ichigo stared at her in shock. "You think a first class girl can't drink?"

They both laughed until some guy stumbled drunkly into Ichigo, causing him to spill half his beer all over Rukia.

"Get outta here you asshole," Ichigo snarled at the man but Rukia was having way too much fun to care at the moment.

Meanwhile at the table next to theirs Toshiro was arm wrestling Kiba, from Ichigo and Renji's stateroom. Kiba slammed Toshiro's tiny fist into the table knocking over several glasses of beer.

"Two outta three! Two outta three!" Toshiro yelled with a cigarette dangling from his mouth. Rukia sauntered over and pulled the cigarette out of Toshiro's mouth.

"So," she said cockily after taking a long drag. "You think you're big tough men? Let's see you do this?" She held up her long black skirt exposing her toned dancer legs covered by black silk stockings and shoved it in Ichigo's face.

"Hold this," she ordered him. In a ballet pose, Rukia held her arms out in front of her and slowly raised all of her weight onto her tip toes. She was able to hold it for a second before she lost her balance and stumbled into Ichigo's arms.

"Oh god," she gasped smiling. "I haven't done that in years."

Ichimaru peered through a crack in the door and saw Rukia laughing, being held in Ichigo's arms.

~*~*~*

Kiyone poured Rukia and Aizen coffee in their suit the next morning. The silence between them was tense.

"I was hoping you'd come to me last night," Aizen said setting down his coffee cup. Rukia stiffened.

"I was tired," she said dryly.

"Surely your extortions below deck were no doubt exhausting."

"So you had your man slave stalk me?"

"You will never behave like that again Rukia," Aizen snarled at her. "Do you understand me?"

"I'm not some disposable pawn at your command Sosuke," Rukia snapped. "I'm your fiancée!"

Aizen completely lost it and flipped the table over spilling the contents everywhere. He advanced on her, trapping her between the chair and him.

"Yes, yes you are," he snarled. "You are my wife in practice if not yet by law and you had better start acting like it and honoring me the way a wife is supposed to honor her husband! Are we clear?"

"Crystal," Rukia squeaked watching Aizen storm off. Kiyone stood frozen in the doorway. She had seen the entire act unfold. The maid raced over to Rukia, who was on the floor attempting to clean up the mess.

"I'm sorry," Rukia sobbed. "We, we had an accident."

"It's ok dear," Kiyone said soothingly as Rukia broke down in tears.

~*~*~*~

Once she had recovered, Rukia started to get dressed for the day. Kiyone was helping her tie her corset when Hisana stormed into the room slamming the door behind her.

"I can take it from here Kiyone," she said ushering the maid out of the room. Hisana took the strings and began to tie the corset forcefully. "You are not to see that boy again Rukia, I forbid it!"

"Oh shut up sister dear, you'll give yourself a nosebleed," Rukia quipped back. Her patience was thin spread this morning. Hisana whipped her sister around and stared her directly in the eyes.

"This isn't a game, our situation is precarious," Hisana explained. "You know the money's gone."

"Of course I know it's gone," Rukia retorted. "You remind me daily."

"Our father left us with a large sum of debt hidden by a good name and that name is the only card we have left to play," Hisana pulled Rukia's corset tighter. "I don't understand you, it's a perfect match with Aizen. It will ensure our survival."

"How can you put this on me?" Rukia asked sounding hurt.

"Do you want me to work as a seamstress?" Hisana asked. "Is that what you want? To see our fine things sold at auction? How can you be so selfish?"

"It's so unfair!"

"Of course it is we're women; our choices are never easy."


	11. 10 Illogical is the New Logic

**Chapter Ten**

A mass service was offered on Sunday and Byakuya led the first class passengers in a hymn. Rukia, Aizen and Hisana were in the congregation singing along with the captain.

Ichigo ran down the Grand Staircase, paused to say good morning to Jushiro Ukitake, who kindly returned the favor. Ichigo was back in his third class attire and was about to walk into the service when the guards at the door stopped him.

"You're not supposed to be here," he told Ichigo.

"I was here last night," Ichigo argued. "Don't you remember?"

Hearing the conversation and commotion outside Aizen's man slave Ichimaru left the service to see what was going on. Ichigo saw him coming.

"Look, he'll tell you!"

"Senior Aizen and Seniorita Hisana continue to be most appreciative of your assistance, they tell me to give you thirty pesos for your troubles senior," Ichimaru said in a bad Mexican accent. Somebody had too much tequila last night. Ichimaru handed Ichigo two twenty dollar bills and Ichigo refused them.

"I don't want money," he said firmly.

"Oh Senior, I would like to remind you that you travel in class tres, and that you can no longer be present in class Uno," Ichimaru said. The steward was starting to get annoyed by Ichimaru's fake Mexican accent and slapped Aizen's man slave across the face. Ichimaru recovered.

"I need to talk to Rukia," Ichigo begged. "Please, only for a minute!"

"Please escort Mr. Kurosaki back where he belongs s'il vous plait!" Ichimaru said taking on a French accent. He handed to money to the steward and the steward grabbed Ichigo under the armpits and dragged him off.

"Come along you."

Ichimaru turned a deaf ear to Ichigo's pleas. In the Service Rukia had looked up from her songbook to see Ichigo being dragged off by the steward. Crestfallen she looked back down.

~*~*~*

Ukitake was giving Aizen and company an exclusive guided tour of the steam liner after the service. Ichigo was determined to talk to Rukia and would stop at nothing. He was crouched below the upper deck with Renji and Toshiro.

"You're crazy," the white haired midget said.

"He's in love," Renji said as they both gave Ichigo a leg up to the upper deck. Once up top Ichigo moved catlike through the people. On the deck a father was watching his young son and his coat and hat lay forgotten on the bench. In one swift motion Ichigo walked past the bench, picked up the coat and put it on, slicking back his hair so now he blended in with the other passengers.

Rukia was in the control room listening to Ukitake explain what happened at various aspects of the ship. It was like listening to a proud father show off his son's (or in this case daughter I guess) accomplishments. First officer Uryu Ishida walked right past the group to where Captain Byakuya Kuchiki was watching the water fly past them.

"There's another berg warning sir," he said.

"It is nothing of my concern," Byakuya said. "This time of year they're quite common. Put in the order to have the last four boilers lit."

"Yes sir," Ishida walked past them as Ukitake led them out onto the deck.

"Mr. Ukitake," Rukia said. "Pardon me but I did the sum in my head and the number of lifeboats times the capacity you mentioned, forgive me but I doubt that there aren't enough for everyone on board."

"About half," was Ukitake's response. "You don't miss a thing Miss. Rukia. I did have in the original plan an extra row that would fit a few more boats but it was decided that the deck would look too crowded and alas, I was overruled."

"It's a waste of deck space as it is," Aizen said smacking a boat with his rich bastard cane. "This ship is unsinkable."

"Sleep soundly Miss Rukia," Ukitake said. "I have built you a good strong ship, she's all the live boat you'll ever need. This way please"

As Rukia turned to corner a man grabbed her arm and dragged her into the nearby exercise room, a man with orange hair peaking out of his hat.

A man named Ichigo Kurosaki.

"Ichigo, this is impossible we, we can't do this!" Rukia sighed. Ichigo grabbed her by the shoulders.

"Rukia, you're no picnic, a spoiled brat even but you have a good heart and you're the most amazing…"

"Ichigo, I…"

"No, let me finish. You're amazing. I know I have nothing to offer you. But I'm too involved now. I can't walk away without knowing you're going to be alright."

Rukia could feel the tears welling up behind her eyes. Unlike Aizen, Ichigo was so honest and so real. He was unlike anyone she had ever met before.

"Ichigo," she begged. "You're making this difficult. I'll be fine, really I will."

"I doubt that," Ichigo said. "They've got you locked in a glass jar and you'll die if you don't get out. Maybe not right away because you're strong but sooner or later you will die."

"You can't save me Ichigo."

"Exactly only you can do that."

"I have to get back, they'll notice my absence." And with that she left.

Later that evening Rukia was having tea with her sister and her sister's friends. Hisana was babbling on about the wedding plans and other nonsense. Rukia wasn't paying much attention and was watching a younger girl trying to act proper to impress her prissy mother.

~*~*~*~

The dusk colors were vivid in the sunset and Ichigo was back at the bow leaning against the railing letting the wind whip across his face freeing himself of all though.

"Hello Ichigo," said a voice behind him. Rukia was standing only ten feet away. "I changed my mind, Renji said you might be…"

Ichigo shushed her and held out his hand. She took it and he pulled her to the front of the boat.

"Close your eyes," he whispered in her ear. Rukia did so. Ichigo pulled her in front of him and gently pressed her in between the rail and his own body. He spread her arms out like wings and held onto her waist to keep her steady. "Ok, you can open them."

When Rukia opened her eyes all she saw in front of her was open ocean. The navy Atlantic unrolled underneath her.

"I'm flying!" she gasped.

"Come Josephine, in my flying machine," Ichigo said softly in her ear. She leaned back into him and let him press his lips into hers. The kiss was genuine and passionate.

Up in the crow's nest the lookout Ikkaku Madarame and elbowed his mate Yumichika Ayasegawa.

"Wish we had them bleeding binoculars now."


	12. 11 Intimate Moments

**Chapter Eleven**

1997

Rukia watched the sunken bow of the ship on the screen remembering the details of her first make-out session. How many girls could say they made out with an orange haired boy on the bow of Titanic?

"That was the last time Titanic ever saw daylight," she said coming back to her senses. Jake was fumbling with the tape recorder. Marcus slapped his hand out of the way and fixed the thing himself.

"We're at dusk," Jake said in the tape recorder. "The night of the sinking, six hours to go."

"Don't you just love it?" Marcus asked darkly. "There's Kuchiki and he's standing there with the ice warning in his fucking…excuse me…hand and he's calling for more speed. _Con stupid!_"

"Twenty-six years at sea have made him cocky," Jake said. "Like someone else we know. Anyway Kuchiki figures he'll see anything big enough within good time. Titanic's too big and a small-ass rudder. She can't corner worth shit."

Rukia's attention was back on the monitors

1912

Rukia led Ichigo inter her stateroom. There was a day and night difference between hers and his. Slowly he set his drawing tools down on a table wondering why the hell she had asked him to bring them.

"Will this light do?" Rukia asked draping her shawl over a lamp. "Don't artists need good light?"

"Zat is true," Ichigo said pulling a fake French accent. "I am not used to working in such 'orrible conditions…Wow Monet!"

Ichigo scrambled over to Rukia's collection of paintings. He looked over them eagerly.

"Isn't his use of color great? I spied on him once, it was awesome, until he threw a tube of paint at me, and I still have the tube and the scar!"

Rukia was in the other room fumbling with the safe combo.

"Aizen insists on carrying this Gods awful thing around," she mumbled.

"Shall we be expecting him?" Ichigo asked looking around. Rukia opened the safe and pulled out a jewelry box.

"Not as long as the cigars and brandy hold out," she revealed to Ichigo the diamond necklace that Aizen had given her as an engagement gift. Ichigo let out a low whistle.

"Damn, is it a sapphire?"

"Diamond," was Rukia's response, "a very rare diamond. And I want you to draw me wearing this…only this."

Ichigo laid out his art supplies on the table after he had rearranged all the furniture. He opened his sketchbook to a clean page and sharpened a piece of charcoal to a fine point. Rukia came out of the bedroom wearing a silk kimono.

"The last thing I need is another portrait of me looking like a porcelain doll," she said handing him a dime. "As a paying customer, I expect to get what I want."

Rukia parted her robe down the middle and let it drop to the floor revealing her nude figure. Ichigo blushed bright red.

"Over on the bed…I mean the couch, yeah, the couch."

"Tell me when this looks right to you," Rukia said sliding down onto the silk couch in a sensual manner. Ichigo looked at her trying not to stare.

"Move your leg a little more and lower your head. Look at me now, perfect!"

Ichigo put pencil to paper and like magic began to copy Rukia's form onto the paper. Even with his eyes in his book and looking up to copy her pose Ichigo could still feel his face get hot.

"I believe your blushing, Mr. Big artiste," Rukia teased. "I can't imagine Monsieur Monet blushing."

"Monet does landscapes," Ichigo laughed. He continued to sketch fleshing out the beauty before him, a perfect recreation on paper.

1997

Still remembering lying nude on the couch having close to a total stranger sketch her picture Rukia snapped her attention back to the people before her. She was 101 years old again on the French ship telling her story to Jake and the others.

"My heart was pounding the entire time," she told them. "It was the most erotic moment of my life up until then."

"What happened next?" Marcus egged her on eagerly.

"You mean did we 'do it'?" Rukia smirked

1912

Ichigo had finished his drawing and was dating it while Rukia watched over his shoulder back in her robe.

"_Sorry to disappoint you Mr. Flint." _

~*~*~*~*~*

Ichimaru entered the first class smoking room after searching the entire ship for Rukia and to no avail. Aizen was sitting with a group of first class men playing cards and talking about business affairs. Ichimaru pulled Aizen aside

"None of the stewards have seen her," he said.

"This is ridiculous Ichimaru," Aizen snarled. "For the love of God, it's a boat. There are only so many places she can be."

Up on the bridge officer Yamada had brought captain Kuchiki a cup of hot tea with lemon. The steam rose up from the cup and both Yamada and Byakuya were covered in layers of clothing to protect themselves from the bitter cold.

"In all my years at sea I don't think I've ever seen it this calm," Yamada said.  
"Yes, like a mill pond," Byakuya agreed. "No wind either."

"It'll make the icebergs harder to see without the water breaking at the base."

"I agree. Well I'll be turning in for the night, Hanataro, maintain speed and wake me in the case of an emergency."

"Hai!"


	13. 12 Iceberg, Within Meters of the Ship?

**Chapter Twelve**

**Elle: **_sorry if this chapter is a tad bit jumpy, the movie was like that too but hopefully I was able to make it flow somewhat_

Rukia had put her clothes back on and returned to Ichigo when the two heard a key in the lock. Pressing a finger to her lips Rukia led Ichigo out through another door as Ichimaru entered the suit.

"Lady Rukia?" he called. "Hello?"

Rukia and Ichigo came out of the stateroom into an empty corridor. Suddenly they both heard a door open and it was the one they had just come out of. Ichimaru had spotted them!

"Shit," Ichigo muttered. Rukia grabbed him by the wrist and they sped off as fast as Rukia's heals could carry hear. She whirled around a corner to the lifts and hurled themselves into an empty one nearly giving the operator a heart attack.

"Take us down," Rukia gasped. "Quickly, hurry up!"

The operator quickly fumbled with the gates getting them shut and having the elevator descend just as Ichimaru caught up to them. Rukia flipped Ichimaru off as he disappeared. The operator gaped Ichigo snickered.

The lift emptied out onto one of the machinery floors and Ichigo and Rukia leaned against the wall to catch their breaths.

"What the hell is he like MI6 or something?" Ichigo gasped.

"Probably ex military of some sort," Rukia laughed. Ichimaru spotted them and they bolted. Ichigo wrenched open a door marked "crew only" and the two of them slammed the door shut.

They were now in a plain room with a ladder and a door. Ichigo motioned toward the ladder.

"After you mademoiselle."

They climbed down the latter into the boiler room. It was hot and sweltering and the men working were covered in a layer of sweat and grime. They were shoveling barrels of coal into the large boilers and one of the men noticed Ichigo and Rukia.

"Oi, what the bloody hell are you doing down here mate?" he yelled.

"Don't mind us," Ichigo called over the din and pulling Rukia past the workers. "Just passing by nothing to see here keep up the good work lads!"

~*~*~*~

Aizen, still sitting at his card game pulled a pocket watch from his pocket. Checking the time he scowled.

"Fifty bucks we make it to New York by Tuesday!" Mustang yelled. He had had one too many brandies.

~*~*~*~

Ichigo pulled Rukia through the inferno and they ended up in a cargo hold. It was much cooler in there than in the boiler room and Rukia shivered in the cold. Ichigo and Rukia wandered until they spotted Aizen's car among the crates and boxes. They ran over to it and Ichigo held the door open for Rukia and got into the driver's seat.

"Where to miss?" he asked.

"The stars," Rukia replied. She had pulled down the divider and was hugging him around the shoulders. Without warning she pulled him through the window into the backseat. It was dark and warm, Ichigo's breath seemed to slow and Rukia's seemed to quicken.

"Are you nervous?" he breathed on her neck.

"Put your hands on me," Rukia gasped. Ichigo stroked her face and she took one of his hands in hers and kissed his fingers. Both of their breathing rates increased dramatically as Ichigo moved on top of her kissing down her jaw line to her chest…

Down on the bridge wireless operator Mike Scarlatti (a/n he's from CBS's _Flashpoint_, I was writing this at eleven at night and I was too lazy to think of Bleach characters. Mike does computer work on his own show so he fit the part) was sending and receiving many different ice warnings from ships all over the Atlantic region. He printed out yet another warning and sent it off the Ishida.

…Rukia slapped her hand against the foggy window of Aizen's car and let it slide down leaving a patch of dry in the condensation. Ichigo and Rukia were breathing heavy and their clothes were scattered around. Rukia stroked Ichigo's face gently as is reassuring herself that he was real and this was really happening.

"You're trembling," she breathed.

"I'm fine," he whispered. Still panting he laid his head against her chest, her heart beat like a lullaby and it seemed to calm him down slightly.

~*~*~*~*

In the crow's-nest Ikkaku and Yumichika were keeping lookout for icebergs and trying to keep warm. Because Under Armor hadn't been invented yet they were both wearing many layers of sweaters.

"You know you can smell ice," Yumichika said. "It has such a beautiful aroma."

"Bullshit," Ikkaku snarled. His bald head was freezing even under his many hats.

"Well I can," said Yumichika defiantly.

The workmen in the boiler rooms pointed out the direction in which Ichigo and Rukia went.

Aizen was in his stateroom, safe open, the drawing of Rukia in one hand and a not from Rukia reading "Now you can keep us both locked in your safe" in the other. He crumpled the note and went to rip the drawing but though better of it. He could work this to his advantage.

The workmen had entered the cargo hold and separated to try and find the two teenagers. They met up by Aizen's car where Rukia's handprint was still visible in the condensation. Both men lined up like a SWAT unit and workman number one opened the door and workman number two pointed his flashlight like a gun.

"HA!" the car was empty

~*~*~*~

Ichigo and Rukia, fully dressed and still on a sex high emerged out onto one of the upper decks in the freezing cold. In the crow's-nest Yumichika elbowed Ikkaku and they watched the two.

"When this ship docks," Rukia said in between kisses. "I'm getting off with you."

"That's crazy," Ichigo said still winded.

"That's exactly why I'm doing it," Rukia said. Ichigo pulled her into him and they began making out in plain sight.

"Look at that," Yumichika said watching the scene unfold from above.

"They're a damn sight warmer than we are," Ikkaku grumbled.

"If that's what it takes t get warm I'd rather not," Yumichika said. They both laughed at this until Ikkaku caught sight of a massive something in the distance.

"Oh shit," the bald one said. "What the fuck is that?"

He made a mad dash to the telephone connected directly to the bridge. It rang and rang and no one picked up. Ikkaku was getting more and more annoyed.

"You assholes pick up the damn phone!"

On the bridge Hanataro Yamada walked up to the phone at a normal pace.

"Titanic, Hanataro Yamada speaking."

"You bleeding moron!" Ikkaku screamed. "There's a bloody iceberg within meters of the ship. A bloody big one!"

"Ok," Hanataro said calmly hanging up the phone. Then stark reality hit him. (a/n now the Hanataro we all know and love at this point would probably throw his hands up and start running in circles but this is a fanfic and I'm gonna give Hana-kun some backbone.) "THERE'S A BLEEDING ICEBERG WITHIN METERS OF THE SHIP!" and then he began to run in circles

Ishida heard him and leapt into action. He called an order into the boiler room to turn the ship hard a starboard. And kept calling out "Hard a starboard" soon the entire bridge was screaming the message.

Ishida raced to the bridge to keep his own eyes on the giant ice mountain ahead of them. Underneath his feet the men in the boiler room were trying to slow the ship down and Hanataro had taken the wheel and turned it as far left as it could go.

"It's over as far as it can go Ishida!"

Ishida was watching the boat head on a line drive course straight into the berg and slowly it started to turn left. Ishida was grabbing the rail so hard the numbness in his hands had nothing to do with the biting cold. The ship was still turning left but the berg was getting closer and closer and closer still with not too much room between the berg and the ship. Ishida knew they were going to hit it was only a matter of when. The ship couldn't turn fast enough and there was a sickening crunching and scraping sound as the metal grinded across the ice. The entire ship shook for a few seconds and then it was all over.


	14. 13 Confusion and Worry

**Chapter Thirteen**

"Enter it in the log," Ishida ordered Yamada. The latter had a small black book open in his palm and was scribbling away an account of what had just happened. "Time is eleven forty one PM"

Byakuya ran out of his cabin pulling a jacket on over his nightshirt.

"Ishida, what happened?" he asked.

"IT was an iceberg captain," Ishida said. "I put her hard a starboard and slowed the engines down but there wasn't enough berth. I tried to port around it and she hit...I…I…"

"Close the watertight doors!" Byakuya barked.

"The doors are closed," Ishida said. Byakuya didn't seem to hear him.

'Get the carpenter on the ship and bring him to the impact sight," Byakuya told Yamada and Ishida and Byakuya made their way to the right side of the ship.

Meanwhile in the lower decks Renji was sound asleep in his bed when the shuddering of the ship hitting the iceberg. He woke up to the sound of water rushing into his room. Sure enough on the floor there was a thin layer of ice water. Renji jumped down from the top bunk into the water with his bare feet.

"Holy shit that's cold!"

On the upper decks the first class passengers started coming out of their rooms to see what was going on. Countess Unohana stepped out of her room in a peach nightgown and stopped a passing steward.

"Why have all the engines stopped?" she asked him. "I felt a shudder."

"We've likely thrown a propeller blade," the steward reassured him. "No cause for alarm."

Ichigo and Rukia were leaning against the side railing watching the massive hunk of ice that would be the death of the ship float past.

"Could that have done any serious damage?" Rukia asked Ichigo.

"It didn't seem like much, I'm sure we'll be fine."

Behind them a small group of people were playing soccer with a chunk of ice.

Down in steerage Renji and Toshiro were leading a group of people out of the lower decks. In front of them were about ten or fifteen rats.

"If this is the way the rats are going it's good enough for me!" Toshiro told Renji

Kisuke Urahara ran past a bunch of people back up on the first class decks as another steward was trying to get the passengers back into their rooms. He was stopped by Aizen and Ichimaru/

"Please sir," the steward said sounding harassed. "I assure you that there is no cause for emergency!"

"Yes there is!" Aizen argued. "I have been robbed, now get me Colonel Mustang! Now damn it!"

Byakuya, Ishida, Urahara and Ukitake were waiting in the captain's quarters and the ships carpenter, John Travis Emmerson I ran into the room carrying the blue prints.

"She's taking water fast, five compartments in five minutes, this isn't good you guys that wasn't just a little bump, we're in some serious trouble right now."

In the boiler room the engine workers were trying to get out of the inferno as the icy flood water pushed them one way and the heavy iron watertight doors closed down. It was a race to see what would kill them first.

Back in the captain's quarters the men decided to move their discussion somewhere else. As they rounded one corner they past Ichigo and Rukia. One sight of the men's faces told them everything and they didn't need to hear their conversation to put two and two together.

"We need to tell sister and Aizen," Rukia told Ichigo. "Come with me."

They entered the interior and to their annoyance Ichimaru the man slave was waiting for them.

"We've been looking for you Lady Rukia," Ichimaru said. As Ichigo past him, Ichimaru slid the giant blue diamond into his coat pocket. They entered Rukia's stateroom where Aizen, Hisana and Mustang were waiting. The atmosphere was tense.

"Something serious has happened,' Rukia began but Aizen cut her off.

"That's right two things dear to me have been missing this evening and now that one is back…" He looked from Rukia to Ichigo. "…I think I know where I can find the other. Search him!"

Mustang began the full pat down on Ichigo. He looked at Aizen indignantly. Mustang pulled the coat off Ichigo's shoulders and read the tag inside it.

"What the hell's going on?" Ichigo asked. "Isn't there an amendment against illegal search and seizure?"

Mustang pulled a giant blue heart-shaped necklace out of the pocket of the coat.

"Is this it?" Ichigo and Rukia both had on identical 'WTF?' expressions.

"Yes that would be it," Aizen said taking the necklace from Mustang. "Cuff him my good man."

"Don't believe them Rukia!" Ichigo yelled. "Don't believe it!"

"He couldn't have," Rukia said. She was confused at what was going on.

"Of course he could," Aizen said smugly. "It was easy enough for a professional; maybe he did it when you were putting your clothes back on."

"They put it in my pocket!" Ichigo accused.

"It's not even your pocket!" Ichimaru said holding up the jacket. "Property of H.J. Potter."

"That was also reported stolen," Mustang said. Rukia had no idea what was going on or who was telling the truth. Mustang and Ichimaru began to drag Ichigo away and he kept shouting that he didn't do it and that he was innocent. Rukia turned and walked away fighting back the tears that were welling up in her eyes.

~*~*~*~

The situation was dire and Ukitake knew that. He watched as Byakuya Urahara and the others debate about his master piece; one that was going to sit at the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean for eternity in less than three hours making a final resting place for half of the people on board.

"There's water above the keel, fourteen feet in ten minutes," Ukitake was hardly aware of what he was doing, pointing to the blueprint cross section of his own creation. "In all three holds, the forepeak and boiler room six. That's five compartments, she can stay afloat with the first four breached not five. But five have been breached and as she goes down by the bow the water will spill over the top of the bulkheads, at E deck from one to another back and back and back. We can't stop it."

"What about the pumps?" Byakuya suggested.

"They buy you time minutes only," Ukitake said bleakly. "From this point forward Titanic will sink."

"But this ship can't sink!" Urahara argued.

"She's made of iron," Ukitake said shaking his head. "I assure you she can…and she will. It's a mathematical certainty."

"How much time do we have?" Byakuya asked Ukitake. The captain's face revealed how much he understood how much danger they were in.

"An hour, two at most," Ukitake said.

"How many are aboard Ishida?" Byakuya asked Ishida

"Two thousand, passengers and crew," was his reply. Byakuya had resigned himself to the worst.

"I believe you may get those headlines, Mr. Urahara."


	15. 14 Sramble

**Chapter Fourteen**

Crewmen were scrambling to prepare the lifeboats for departure. Ukitake paced back and forth the ship barking order at men who weren't doing it right.

"Turn to the right!" He barked. "Pull the falls taut before you unchoke Haven't you men had a boat drill?"

"Not with these davits sir!" one man yelled back. Ukitake was starting to loose his nerves.

Inside their suit Rukia and Aizen were having a face off and Aizen totally bitch slapped Rukia.

"You little slut," he snarled at her. His verbal abuse couldn't match up to everything that had just happened. The steward poked his head in the door and placed to lifejackets on the floor.

"Captain's orders, get aft and dress warmly, it's cold out." And the man left leaving Rukia and Aizen to continue their fight.

"Everybody get out!" stewards were yelling in various tongues as steerage men and women were coming out of the rooms and running in all directions. "Life vests on now hurry up hurry up!"

"CQD sir?" Scarlatti the wireless operator asked Byakuya.

"Yes CQD, the distress call, tell them were going down by the head and need urgent assistance."

"Maybe you ought to try the new call, SOS," Ed Lane another wireless operator said running out of the booth. "Might be our only chance to use it, and it's easier to send."

Ukitake looked at the empty deck where the crew was still trying to get the lifeboats lowered. He turned to Ishida who was nearby.

"Where the bleeding hell are all the passengers?"

""They've all gone back inside sir," Ishida said. "It's too cold and noisy for the first class!"

"What the hell's going on?" Rangiku yelled over the din in the Grand Staircase. "You get us all out and now you tell us to go back in?"

The steward, blonde and named Izuru Kira stumbled backward on the stairs.

"Yes mother, I'm going to try and find out now ma'am."

Aizen Hisana and Rukia were walking up to the crowded deck. Aizen was carrying the lifebelts instead of wearing them and why he was even carrying them was another mystery. Rukia walked behind her fiancé and her sister almost in a daze.

"Trust the English to do everything by the book," Aizen snarled.

Ukitake was admiring the artwork on the staircase for a final time. Rukia saw his expression. The child whom he was bragging about earlier this morning was going to die, he was utterly heartbroken.

"I saw the iceberg, Mr. Ukitake," Rukia said breaking away from Aizen and Hisana. "I can see it in your eyes. Please tell me the truth."

"This ship will sink."

"You're sure of this?"

"In an hour this will all be at the bottom of the Atlantic. Please only tell who you must, I don't wan to cause panic. Get to the boats quickly, don't stall there aren't enough for everyone aboard.

"I understand, thank you."

~*~*~*~*~*

In a lower deck in a room below sea level Ichimaru and Mustang had handcuffed Ichigo to a pipe. A crewman burst into the room and ordered Mustang up on deck urgently.

"Go sir," Ichimaru told Mustang. "I'll look after him."

Ichimaru pulled a pistol out of his jacket pocket. Mustang reassured left the room after flipping Ichimaru the handcuff keys.

Back on the bridge Mike was relaying a message from Byakuya to the wireless crew aboard the Carpathia.

"She's the only one responding sir, says they're pulling 17 knots, full speed," Mike told Byakuya.

"And no one else responded to the calls?" Byakuya asked.

"Only one close, she can be here in four hours at the earliest."

Byakuya left the office and went out onto the deck. By now many of the passengers had come out, many wearing nightclothes with lifebelts over them. Yamada was trying to urge the passengers onto the boats with little luck.

"Women and children first," Byakuya told the young boy. Yamada began rounding the women and children into the boats.

In the midst of the din, the dinner band composed of Edward, Emmett and Carlisle Cullen with Jasper Hale had set up and were trying to play calming music while the passengers ran around in a frenzy. They seemed to annoy Yamada more.

Aizen dragged Rukia and Hisana to the boats past people carrying luggage and other things. To most of their shock a young girl with dark brown hair in a White Star Line uniform was barking orders. How unbecoming of a young lady and she was arguing with the other crewmen.

"I told them not to bleeding bring any luggage!" She said in an English accent. "And they bleeding don't listen! Bloody hell put those down!"

They had closed the gates leading from the third class up to the upper decks and they weren't happy about it. Renji and Toshiro kept fighting with the guard to get through. A woman was consoling her two young children not looking very consoled herself.

Yamada and Ishida were watching the supervision of the evacuation and boat number seven was being lowered half full.

"Lower it!" Ishida barked. "And keep it steady!"

The lifeboat shook along the ropes carrying it down to the glassy black water. The passengers faces drained of what color was left.

Ichigo was watching the water outside the ship rise slower and slower. Ichimaru was playing with the pistol's bullets before he looked at the water thoughtfully.

"I just realized something," Ichimaru said. "I think the ship's gonna sink." Ichimaru went over to Ichigo and kicked him in the stomach and to add insult to injury bitch slapped him across the face. "Complements of a Mr. Sosuke Aizen!"

Up on deck Officers Hisagi and Kira were firing off distress rockets. They lit up the sky like fireworks casting the ship in a glowing white light. Urahara was running along the deck like Ukitake was before and barking orders at the crewmen.

"Lower the damn boats, hurry!" he yelled at Yamada, the young officer turned around from trying to untangle the ropes to lower the boat.

"What the hell do you think we're trying to do?!" Yamada yelled.

"Do you know who I am?" Urahara asked.

"You're a passenger and I'm an officer. Now get in the damn boat and stop pissing me off!" Yamada yelled at Urahara. "Lower the boat now, easy steady does it, right, right!"

Urahara turned and bolted.

Ishida was lowering a life boat over where Aizen, Rukia and Hisana were standing. Several men were trying to push their way onto the boats but Ishida had an order for women and children only.

"Women and children only, no men, back, get back I say!"

Rukia realized the gravity of the situation as she watched couples say goodbye right in front of her eyes. Rangiku was trying to coax a petrified woman onto the boats.

"Come on honey, you heard the megane, get in the boat."

"Will the lifeboats be sorted according to class?" Hisana asked a nearby crewman. "Oh, I hope they're not too crowded."

"Sister shut up!" Rukia snapped. It wasn't just her voice. She felt her whole body snap. Here was a situation of life or death and her sister was being shallow and conceited. "You don't get it! The water is freezing and there aren't enough boats, not enough by half. Half of the people on this ship are going to die!"

"Not the better half," Aizen interjected. Rukia's eyes widened and the rocket exploding overhead gave them an eerie glow. Ichigo was third class and he didn't have a prayer. She turned on Aizen in a flash.

"You fucking asshole," she snarled.

"Come on Hisana," Rangiku could be heard coaxing Hisana into the boat. "Up here, these are first class seats." She practically handed her over to Ishida and looked around for another reluctant woman. "Rukia, you're next."

Rukia stepped away.

"Rukia get in the boat!" Hisana barked. Rukia shook her head.

"Goodbye sister."

Hisana, in the lifeboat wasn't about to jump out to chase her sister. Aizen however grabbed her arm and whipped her around.

"Where are you going to be a whore to that half-breed?" Aizen snarled.

"I'd rather be his whore than your wife at least he cares!"

Aizen grabbed her arm and started to drag her back to the lifeboats. Rukia worked up a glob of spit in her throat and let it rip, hawking it right into Aizen's face. Bitch-slapping him, Rukia darted off into the crowd and Ishida gave the order to lower the boat.

"RUKIA!" Hisana called out into the crowd.

"Oh shut up," Rangiku said. "She'll get along alright."

Rukia ran off not looking back to see Hisagi and Kira hold Aizen back, restraining him from chasing her. She hoped they'd throw him over board.


	16. 15 I've Got A Plan

**Chapter fifteen**

Hisana and Rangiku's boat was safely in the water under the supervision of Shuhei Hisagi and Izuru Kira. Both men had control of the oars but seemed to have difficulty moving away from the boat as Hisagi was stronger than Kira. Fed up Rangiku pushed her way around the boat and pulled Kira's oar. The boat moved since Rangiku and Hisagi were as strong as each other.

Under the ship Ichigo was trying to break free of his handcuffs. Nothing he did seemed to work. To make matters worse a mall trickle of water seemed to make its way into the room.

"SOMEBODY HELP ME PLEASE!"

Ukitake was checking over the rooms to make sure they were empty when Rukia ran up to him.

"Mr. Ukitake, thank god. Where would the master at arms take a man under arrest?" she asked breathlessly.

"Rukia, you need to get on a boat!"

"I'm doing this with or without help Mr. Ukitake but it'll be faster with."

Ukitake paused for a moment. "Get in the lift, go down, make a left and then a right, you'll find him there."

"Bottom, left right, ok, thank you"

"Hurry!"

Rukia sprinted to the lifts where the operator was shutting down. It was the same one from before. He caught sight of her maddened expression.

"I'm sorry ma'am but the lifts…" Rukia grabbed him by the collar and shoved him into the cab. The snap she had felt when facing her sister and Aizen had come full circle.

"I'm through with being polite damn it. I'm not going to be polite again in my life! Damn it now take me down!" her eyes were livid and the operator sent the lift down.

Rangiku's boat had made it far enough from the boat to see that it was starting to angle down into the water. Hisana sat there transfixed as Rangiku started telling the ladies in the boat to row.

The lift had emptied out into a pool of water and the operator went back up leaving Rukia to swim for her life. She started to follow Ukitake's direction calling Ichigo's name with each step.

By now Ichigo had given up hope and was busy confessing everything that he had done wrong in life hoping for divine retribution and if by some miracle Rukia stumbled into the room. The water was up to her waist but she didn't care. She ran at him and threw both her arms tight around his body.

"Oh my god, Ichigo, Ichigo," Rukia said still hugging her lover.

"Ichimaru put it in my pocket!" Ichigo said indignantly.

"I know he did," Rukia said breathlessly, the sex high from before was rushing back to her. If she died right here she'd be happy.

"Find a key," Ichigo instructed, "small and silver. How did you know I was innocent?"

"I just knew," she said searching the drawers. Ichigo looked out the window to see a lifeboat float past. He made eye contact with a woman in the boat and she started freaking out.

"Uh, there's no key here," Rukia said after tearing the room apart.

"Then go find help," Ichigo suggested. Rukia ran off into the corridor and around another until she stopped. The ship groaned as it sank deeper into the water and out of nowhere yet another steward came around the corner.

"Come on," he said taking Rukia's arm. "Let's get up to the boats."

Annoyed Rukia tried pleading with the man but he didn't listen. Fed up Rukia mustered up all of her strength and punched the man straight in the nose.

"To hell with you!" he shouted running away. Rukia flipped him off and turned to see a fire ax placed right at her feet. Smirking she picked it up and ran back to Ichigo.

"Will this help?" Rukia asked showing Ichigo the ax.

"I hope so," Rukia made to swing the ax but Ichigo stopped her. "Try taking a few practice swings."

Rukia swung and hit a wooden cabinet. Ichigo told her to hit the same mark and she missed by a few inches.

"Ok, enough practice," Ichigo said. Rukia lifted the ax to break apart the handcuffs. Ichigo held his breath. "It's ok, you can do it. I trust you."

CLANG! Rukia brought the ax down and broke apart the handcuffs. Ichigo examined his now free hands before jumping into the water.

"Holy mother that's cold!" he exclaimed. They started to move their way along the corridor in waist deep ice water.

Out on the lifeboats Rangiku and Hisagi had rowed a good few hundred meters away from the doomed ship. The bow was just above the waterline and the stern was starting to rise out of the water. One of the men aboard lit another flare and it exploded sending white sparks all over.

"Well there's something you don't see everyday," Rangiku said.

Steerage passengers where running aft when suddenly a wooden door splintered and broke off its hinges. A steward turned to see Ichigo and Rukia emerge from the rubble.

"That's White Star Line property that is," he told them. "You're going to have to pay for…"

"SHUT UP!" they both yelled at the same time. The steward looked taken aback.

Meanwhile up on deck Aizen was searching for Rukia amongst the throng of people. Ishida was forcing reluctant people into the boats and Ukitake walked by. The old man groaned in exasperation.

"Why are the boats being launched half full?" Ukitake barked at Ishida.

"Not now, Mr. Ukitake," Ishida said untying a knot in a rope.

"That boat down there had twenty people in it when its main capacity is sixty-five, and I saw one with only twelve. Twelve!"

"We weren't sure of the weight."

"Bullshit, these boats were tested in Belfast with the weight of seventy men. Damn it Ishida fill the boats!"

Aizen was still heading his search for Rukia and Ichimaru was right behind his master.

"I checked all of starboard," Ichimaru told Aizen. "She's not there either."

"We're running out of time," Aizen muttered. "And this one isn't letting men in at all."

"The other one on the other side is letting men in," Ichimaru told Aizen.

"That's our move then," Aizen said more to himself than to Ichimaru. "I'll still need some insurance."

"Tequila?" Ichimaru asked holding up a bottle of liquor stolen from the kitchens.

"No you bleeding idiot, money, cold hard cash!"

Not paying attention to the scene behind him Hanataro was trying to usher a woman into the lifeboat. She was refusing under the claim that her and her husband had been together for over forty years and they didn't intend on ending that anytime soon. When the woman refused to go to the boats Hanataro had no choice but to lower the boat without her.

At long last Ichigo and Rukia found a group of steerage folk gathered around an iron gate that lead to the upper levels. Ichigo and Rukia wondered why they weren't goingin anywhere if the ship was sinking and they found the answer when they saw a crewman on the other side of the gate yelling in English at the confuse people. In the front were Renji and Toshiro fighting with the crewman.

"Women only!" The man yelled as Ichigo and Rukia caught up with Toshiro.

"Toshi, Renji!" Ichigo yelled hugging Renji like a brother. "What the bleeding hell's going on?"

"This one won't let us through!" Renji yelled as Toshiro kept arguing with the crewman. Things had started to get out of hand and the only solution the crewman could think of was to pull out a revolver and fired it into the air.

"For the love of god man!" Toshiro yelled shrilly. "There are women and children down here! Let us out so we can have a chance!"

"If you gotta plan Toshi," Ichigo said appearing behind the small white haired man. "You might wanna do it now." He turned to hold Rukia but the young woman was nowhere to be found. Ichigo groaned.

Aizen and Ichimaru were back in the stateroom and Aizen was pulling valuables out of his safe and stowing them in his coat pockets. He pulled a large stack of bills out of the safe and flashed them in front of his man slave.

"I make my own luck," Aizen said coolly putting the money in his breast pocket. In a final motion he put the brilliant blue diamond next to the cash. Ichimaru opened his jacket to reveal a semiautomatic among several bottles of tequila.

"So do I"

Ichigo had found Rukia sitting on a wooden bench away from all the commotion. Ichigo looked at her and noticed an icy blue fire in her lavender eyes.

"I found a solution, ';she said with a smirk. Ichigo found himself smirking as well and was joined by Renji Toshiro and a few other men. They grabbed the bench and pulled it off the floor and charged at the gate using the bench as a battering ram. Rukia was in the lead ushering people out of the way.

Ichigo, Renji, Toshiro and the other men rammed the bench into the gate. The crewman tried in vain to hold the pieces together and restrain the crowd. Rukia stepped forward.

"IF you want to keep your pathetic job with the White Star Line I suggest you step aside and let these people through."

With a riot brewing the crewman had no choice but to obey Rukia's demand.


	17. 16 Dire Circumstance

**Chapter Sixteen**

With just under half the ship underwater and more than half the boats launched Rangiku and Hisana along with Shuhei and Izuru watched in horror as little specks that were people jumped from the massive ship. Rangiku looked at Shuhei.

"We have room for more," she told Shuhei. He looked at her.

"Are you nuts, we go back they'll swamp the boats and not to mention the suction's gonna pull us under if we get too close."

Up on the boat deck Byakuya and Ishida were trying to call the boats back to no avail. Byakuya shook his head sadly.

"Those bloody idiots aren't coming back," he told Ishida

Aizen and Ichimaru walked into the foyer to see Roy Mustang and his friend Maes Hughes dressed in their evening best..

"My you look ravishing Mustang, Hughes," Aizen said passing them. "Any occasion in particular?"

"We've dressed in our best and are prepared to go down like gentlemen," Hughes said taking a sip of sake.

"That's admirable," Aizen said walking off. Lower and only to Ichimaru he added. "And I'll be sure to tell your wife when _I _make it to New York."

They had made it to the frenzy up on deck where all three classes had mixed together. Finally both men had made it to the side where Ishida was letting a few men onto the boats at a time to help the crewmen row away. Ishida had just given to order to lower the last boat in the small fleet.

"We're too late," Aizen said.

"Stay with this one," Ichimaru suggested. "He seems practical."

Suddenly gunshots rang out. They had come from over where Hanataro was loading boats. He had fired off a few waring shots as a group of steerage men tried to overrun a boat..

By now Aizen had caught up with Ishida who was working on a group of knots keeping boat 15 attached to the ship.

"Mr. Ishida," Aizen said sliding next to the crewman. "I'm a business man, and now I have a proposition for you."

Ichigo and Rukia, followed by Renji and Toshiro emerged on deck just behind the third funnel at a slight incline. There were no boats around. A man walked by ushering two women along. Rukia must have known him because she stopped him and within seconds her, Ichigo, Renji and Toshiro were heading aft toward the remaining boats.

"So we have an understanding then?" Aizen asked Ishida. He counted the money and pocketed it.

"Very well," Ishida said stiffly as Ichimaru came up to them.

"I've located Lady Rukia," he said with an evil smirk.

"Are there anymore women and children?" Ishida called. There were only men around. Ishida was so preoccupied he didn't notice Aizen and Ichimaru sneaking away or Kisuke Urahara sneaking onto the boat. "Lower it down then!"

Around the ship more tearful goodbyes were still taking place. Husbands were giving final kisses to their wives and children with tears in everyone's eyes. Ichigo and the others made their way around to where Hanataro was trying to keep the men out of the boats.

"Rukia," Ichigo said quietly. "Get in the boat, I'll go to the other side and…"

"No," Rukia protested. "I'm not leaving you."

"Get in the boat," Aizen commanded. Rukia whipped around. Aizen and Ichimaru were back. Aizen looked at Rukia, blue-lipped and shivering. "Look at you, you're freezing."

Aizen stripped off his coat laden with money and other valuables and slipped it onto Rukia.

"Get on the boat miss," Hanataro said ushering Rukia onto the boat. She did so reluctantly and only because Ichigo reassured her he'd get on the next one. As Hanataro lowered the boat Rukia watched Ichigo rise higher and higher.

"You lie well," Aizen said quietly.

"Almost as good as you senior," Ichigo said darkly.

"I always get my way boy," Aizen said smugly. "No matter what, shame I didn't take that drawing. It'll be worth a lot more by morning."

A rocket burst overhead and Rukia watched it numbly. Her body was trembling. Here she was on a life boat running away from the only person who had ever loved her for who she was and not what she was told to be. She was going to live and he was going to die! This wasn't happening! Make it stop!

Without using rational though Rukia did the only thing that made sense and hurled herself at the side of the ship. She was now hanging off the sinking ship and pulled herself over.

Above Ichigo and Aizen saw the whole thing. Ichigo turned and bolted trying to find the quickest way to the lower deck. Aizen stood there numb with fury. His fiancée was willing to die for this piece of scum!

Rukia stood up slightly off balance from what she had just done and was knocked backward as Ichigo collided into her hugging her tightly.

"Rukia," Ichigo said tears close to falling from his eyes. "Rukia, you're so stupid what the hell were you thinking?!"

His words were barely understandable through his tears and kisses.

"You jump I jump," Rukia said as if it made up for everything.

"Yeah, yeah," Ichigo agreed.

Aizen had spotted them and Ichimaru tried to stop his master fro doing something rash. Too late, Aizen stuck his hand into Ichimaru's breast pocket and whipped out the semiautomatic and started firing with a maniac glint in his eye.

"Shit," Ichigo yelled pulling Rukia away from the danger. Aizen started firing more shots even inside the ship. Bullets missed Ichigo and Rukia by inches and instead hit a statue which shattered into a million pieces. Ichigo and Rukia ran into another room slamming the door behind them. Aizen dropped the gun and broke into a fit of maniacal laughter as Ichimaru caught up to him.

"What's so damn funny?" He asked.

"I put the money in the jacket," Aizen laughed. "And the jacket on the kangaroo and now he's hopping away! Ha-ha!"

"You mean to say you put the money in the jacket and the jacket on the girl and the girl is running away with a kangaroo?"

"Ha-ha-ha!" Aizen cackled walking off. Ichimaru's eyes lit up and he plunged into the icy water. He swam to where Ichigo and Rukia were hiding. The ship creaked groaned and rattled as it sank deeper underwater. Ichigo motioned to Rukia to stay put and be quiet. Catlike he slinked over to where Ichimaru was advancing toward him. Ichimaru spotted Ichigo and advanced toward him Ichigo moved closer as well. When the two were feet apart Ichigo moved his leg and swiftly kicked Ichimaru in the nuts.

"Compliemets of a Mr. Ichigo Kurosaki, senior!"

Now with one problem out of the way Ichigo and Rukia made their way back into the labyrinth of the ship to get aft. Down under they saw a little boy, about three standing alone in the corridor.

"We can't just leave him," Rukia said making her way toward the boy when suddenly a man who could only have been the boy's father ran past her and started yelling in Russian. He was heading toward the torrent of water that had flown in when the ship hit the berg. The water flew around the corner sweeping up the man and the boy. Ichigo and Rukia watched it for a moment before they turned tail and bolted.

The water was catching up to them. They ran until they reached a flight of stairs and at the top of those stairs was a wrought iron gate, a wrought iron gate that was…locked.

Luck had to have been on their side because a steward ran past the gate and saw them. Ichigo yelled for him to come over and he did.

"Help us please!" Rukia yelled. The steward pulled a giant key ring from his pocket and started to fumble with the lock when the ship's lights flicked causing the man to drop his keys.

"Fuck it," he said running away. Ichigo dove under the water and felt around for the keys. When he did he emerged and began to fumble with the lock and within minutes had it open.

Still slap happy Aizen was determined to get his pathetic ass onto a lifeboat. He spotted a young child no older than two. More gunshots rang out as Renji and Toshiro were being pushed around by the panicked crowd.

Panic and chaos were everywhere and people resorting to jumping off the ship. Men were pushing each other around and Ishida was getting annoyed. He pulled out his firearm from his jacket.

"I'll shoot anyone that tries to get past me!" He threatened. Most of the crowd were steerage men who didn't speak English and only pushed harder. Aizen stormed up to him.

"We had a deal you ass!" he barked. Ishida turned pointing his firearm at Aizen.

"Get back!" he said cocking the weapon. The crowd pushed harder shoving Toshiro to the front. With out warning Ishida fired at Toshiro and the white haired boy went down. Renji dropped to his knees and held him as he laid dying offering last words of comfort.

Ishida stood frozen in his spot realizing what he had just done. In all the panic and confusion he shot an innocent man. With no other options he saluted his men and pointed the firearm at his head.

BAM!

The weapon went off and Ishida's body fell off the side of the ship bobbing eerily in the water, all the money Aizen had given to him spread around in a mix of blood and salt water.

The child Aizen had passed earlier was still crying in the corner. Aizen picked her up figuring with Ishida dead this was his chance to save himself. Running though the crowd with the child Aizen was able to secure himself a spot on the life boat. Once on the boat he handed the child off to one of the steerage women.


	18. 17 The Beginning of the Sinking

**Chapter seventeen**

In their quest to get aft Ichigo and Rukia ran through the first class smoking room where Jushiro Ukitake was standing in front of the fireplace watching the time tick by. His face was somber and he looked aged well past his years. Rukia stopped before she passed him.

"Won't you make a try for it Mr. Ukitake?" she asked. Ukitake glanced at her before looking away but not before she saw the tears roll down his cheeks.

"I'm sorry I couldn't have built you a stronger ship Lady Rukia," he said sadly. Ichigo was getting impatient.

"She's going down fast," he informed Rukia, "we have to go, now!"

Ukitake picked up a stray lifebelt and handed it to Rukia.

"Good luck to you Lady Rukia," he said solemnly. Rukia took the lifebelt and gave Ukitake a hug.

"Thank you sir,"

Up on deck the band that had been ordered by the captain to play music to keep the people calm had finished playing the last cheerful upbeat song they knew.

"Right men," the cellist said. "That's it lads."

The band members got up to leave but the violinist stayed behind. He put the bow to the stings and began to play the first notes of "Nearer My God to Thee" Not willing to leave him behind the rest of the band returned to pick up the lonely melody.

Byakuya knew the end was coming, it was inevitable and there was nothing he could do. There weren't enough lifeboats on the ship, half of the people were going to die, him along with them. Byakuya was a noble man, he knew he would die upright and proud behind the wheel of the ship and not a coward hiding in a corner. He isolated himself from everyone else and went into the deserted control room alone and locked all the doors. With both hands on the wooden wheel he waited until the bow sunk deeper and water rushed in, causing the windows to implode and crushing the captain under all the pressure.

In the smoking room, the incline had gotten too steep and Ukitake could feel the end in sight. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a golden pocket watch. Consulting it he opened the clock on the mantle piece and corrected the time to 2:15 am. He sighed; all he could do was wait.

The older couple from earlier were in there suit room lying on the bed holding hands, a sinking ship would not separate them after forty years together. In the third class deck a young Irish woman was tucking her two young children both between the ages of five and seven into the bed and telling them a story.

The panic continued up on deck as the bow was now completely submerged under water. Water swirled up onto the deck taking down anything in its path. The lifeboats still on deck were swept around all over. Aizen was fighting a group of steerage men away from his and Renji was busy pulling the lifebelt off of Toshiro's body. When he was done a wave swallowed him up and he emerged gasping from the freezing water.

The band members had finally finished their last song as the water rushed toward them.

"Gentlemen," the violinist said lowering his instrument. "It has been a privilege playing with you tonight."

Renji was trying to get himself on a boat that was in danger of squishing another boat. While Aizen was screaming at the men in the boat to row away, Renji had pulled a knife from his pocket and tried to saw at the ropes holding the boat down. There was a snapping sound as the cables holding the first funnel in place snapped off. Renji gazed up in horror as the metal tube gave way and fell forward trapping Renji between the water and the metal.

Ichigo and Rukia had finally made it to the deck where hundreds of people were heading aft. The incline was steep and they fought to climb up it. Ichigo said they needed to stay on the ship as long as possible. They raced up the stairs and were trapped behind a man who was walking slowly up them.

"And though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death…"

"You wanna walk there a little faster eh buddy?" Ichigo snarled pushing past him and dragging Rukia along.

Water was pouring into the ship faster than ever. As it coursed through the ship it destroyed everything in its path, animate and inanimate alike. The pressure on top of the dome of the Grand Staircase was immense and it collapsed crushing those inside it.

The angle of the stern was increasing and the propellers were now visible twenty feet above the water. People were jumping from all over the ship and colliding with the metal with sickening thuds. Ichigo and Rukia kept fight aft passing a priest who was leading a group of people in prayer as the angle kept increasing.

Things inside the ship shifted and slammed against each other. A cabinet burst open spilling its contents, piles of White Star Line china, all over the floor. People up on deck were sliding down the wooden floor as the ship steepened. In the control room the breaker panels were sparking. A crewman went to stop the power but was caught in the live wire and was electrocuted, all in the same the power went out plunging the ship into total darkness.

The angle had become too great and the hull couldn't deal with the pressure. Ichimaru was holding onto the rail keeping himself from sliding into the icy black void. Suddenly the ship began to tremble and crack. The ground beneath him splintered and cracked.

The ship split in half and the bow was struggling to break loose from the stern. Ichimaru caught in the middle fell down into the icy black void.

In the lifeboats Rangiku watched the scene in horror with the other women and Shuhei and Izuru.

"God Almighty," she mumbled to herself.


	19. 18 Never Let Go

The stern slammed back level with the water as the bow sunk lower, now completely under water. The weight of the bow was enough to pull the stern completely vertical.

Ichigo and Rukia were clinging onto the back rail for dear life as the angle increased to a full ninety. Rukia looked at her surroundings as a sense of dramatic irony hit her.

"Ichigo, this is where we first met," she said with a small nervous laugh. Damn dramatic irony and foreshadowing.

Ichigo held Rukia tight against the stern's rail as people who couldn't climb over fell fifteen stories down into the icy black void.

The stern seemed stable as it hovered for a second before it began to flood, imploding as the air was trapped inside and the massive half of the ship went lower and lower, slow at first and then gathering speed at an alarming rate.

"Ok Rukia," Ichigo said his voice firm. "Take a deep breath and hold it right before we go down, the suction's gonna pull us down. Kick for the surface and keep kicking. And whatever you do don't let go of my hand!"

"I trust you," Rukia gasped as the water was getting closer.

"Ready…NOW!"

The ship went down and Ichigo and Rukia let go, holding their breaths and each other. There were bubbles everywhere as the ship sank lower and lower and Ichigo and Rukia fought to break the surface. The swirling vortex caused Ichigo and Rukia to break apart and they broke surface twenty feet from each other.

Rukia emerged from the water gasping for breath. The water was freezing or well below. It was a cold so intense it burned. Rukia screamed for Ichigo but a strange man without a lifebelt climbed onto her trying to get out of the freezing water. Ichigo arrived out of nowhere and punched the man square in the face before pulling Rukia away.

"Come on Rukia swim," Ichigo said with chattering teeth. He knew that if they kept moving they'd stay slightly warmer and stay alive longer. Ichigo pulled Rukia, hindered by the lifebelt, out of the throng of people treading water in the open ocean, calling out for help.

Ichigo dragged Rukia along to a piece of floating debris nearby. It looked like a piece from the Grand Staircase. Rukia clambered onto it on her stomach but when Ichigo made to follow it tipped almost dumping Rukia down into the water. There was only enough room on there for her. Ichigo leaned on it trying to keep his upper body out of the water. The air was so cold their breaths floated around them.

Over on a deck chair a crewman had pulled a whistle from his coat pocket and blew furiously trying to get the attention of the remaining boats. He blew and blew with all the strength his frozen lungs could muster.

The whistle carried over to Shuhei and Izuru's boat, the one that Rangiku was seconds away from taking control of.

"We're not going back," Shuhei said. "We go back and they'll swamp us!"

"Shut up," Rangiku said amidst the screaming. "You're scaring me. Come on ladies grab an oar we're going back."

They all sat silent huddling into their furs.

"What's wrong with all of you?!" Rangiku demanded. "It's your men out there! Ukitake said this boat could hold sixty five and we have less than thirty!"

"There'll be one less more in this boat if you don't shut the hell up!" Shuhei barked at Rangiku.

Rukia watched the stars quietly singing to herself. A while had past and the screams had deadened leaving a ghostly silence. Ichigo was still holding her hand, his face stark white, his lips a deep blue and his orange hair frosted with ice.

"It's getting quiet," Rukia whispered.

"They're just trying to get the boats organized," Ichigo said back. He had to strain to speak. "I d-d-don't know ab-b-bout you but I-I-I int-t-tend t-t-to write a strongly w-w-worded l-l-letter t-t-to the W-w-white St-st-Star L-l-line."

"I love you Ichigo," Rukia breathed.

"Don't start that, no goodbyes, keep pushing, you'll survive."

"It's s-s-s-so c-c-cold."

"You're g-g-going t-t-to g-get outta th-th-this. You're g-g-going to gr-gr-grow old and m-m-make lots of b-b-babies and d-d-die and old l-l-lady w-w-warm in her b-b-bed. Not h-h-here, n-n-not n-n-ow. Understand?"

"It's so c-c-cold"

"Listen to me, winning that ticket was the best thing that ever happened to me. It brought me to you and I'm thankful for that. Promise me you'll survive, you won't give up not mater how hopeless it may seem, fight though it. Promise me that. Don't ever let go!"

"I promise," Rukia whispered.

~*~*~*~*

Hanataro had managed to get aboard one of the last lifeboats before the ship sank and was determined to save at least one person from the freezing water. He rounded up boats 16, 18, 19, and 21 and was transferring people from boat 16 to boat 19. When he had finished he left Rangiku to control the boat and took Izuru and Shuhei with him to go rescue people.

The two of them rowed toward the mass of people and within minutes the first bodies were visible. They were all chalk white and lifeless killed by the freezing water. Hanataro held his flashlight overhead as Shuhei and Izuru rowed on trying to avoid hitting the people.

"We waited too long," Hanataro said sadly. Gathering up a huge breath Shuhei belted: "IS THERE ANYONE ALIVE OUT THERE?!"

"CAN ANYBODY HEAR US?!" Izuru added.

Rukia waited and waited, she knew the end was coming. She could see her relatives dancing before her trying to pull her into the light. She was still singing to herself gazing up at the full sky of stars, the Milky Way visible in the blackness. She must have imagined the voices screaming 'can you here us' she knew she was close to death. She looked over to see a shadow looming over the dark water. The Grim Reaper? No, it was a lifeboat, a savior! Wait where was it going?!

"Come back!" Rukia squeaked shaking Ichigo's frostbitten hand. "Ichigo, a boats here!"

Ichigo was motionless. He didn't respond no matter how hard Rukia shook him. Her eyes widened as she realized what had happened.

"Ichigo? Ichigo! Come back! Come back!" She felt hopeless now, the boat was rowing away, leaving her behind. What did it matter? She was close to death now anyway. She looked at Ichigo and was suddenly filled with resolve. He didn't give up his life for her to die, he sacrificed himself so she could live. Pulling herself up Rukia broke free of Ichigo's hand. It was the hardest moment of her life, she kissed his hand and let him fall into the ocean, a burial at sea.

"I'll never let go, Ichigo," she said quietly. "Never."

She rolled off the piece of debris and swam as hard as she could toward the whistling crewman's body. With all her strength she ripped the whistle from his mouth and blew as hard as she could.

Hanataro and the others were rowing back toward the other boats when they heard the whistle.

"COME ABOUT!" Hanataro yelled and Izuru and Shuhei rowed back toward Rukia. They found her on the brink of unconsciousness and pulled her into the boat, covering her with blankets.


	20. 19 Make It Count

Rukia had almost come to the conclusion of her grim tale. She was back at 101, in 1997 with Jake, Jack, Marcus, Arisa and Amy on the French ship. She had just explained the hardest part of her story, where she let Ichigo go. Jake and the men's faces were blank while Arisa and Amy had tear tracks down their faces. The tape recorder had run out and Jake forgot to change it.

"Fifteen hundred people went into the water the day Titanic sank and six were saved. Six, out of fifteen hundred, myself included," Rukia said somberly. "Afterward the seven hundred people in the boats had nothing to do but wait, wait to live, wait to die, wait for an absolution that would never come…"

1912

The people in the boats huddled together for warmth, class and status forgotten. Aizen accepted a swig of whisky from a black faced stoker and Hisana huddled next to Rangiku for warmth. Rukia covered in blankets in another boat was floating in and out of consciousness. Her face was masked in a green glow from one of Hanataro's signal flares and she looked up to see the boy waving it above his head.

The sun had started to rise and the blackness was replaced by a soft pink. In the distance was another ship. Hanataro saw it and began waving his flares like mad and ordering the others to row toward it.

The ship came into view as the SS Carpathia, the steamer that had radioed in earlier. The people in the boats cheered as they boarded their savior.

Edward Cullen, a crewman in the Carpathia was taking the names of the immigrants on the back deck, listening to a woman scream at him in Russian for her lost husband when Aizen came down the stairs. Edward sighed.

"Sir," he said calling to Aizen. "I don't think you'll find any of your lot down here, they're all steerage."

Ignoring Edward Aizen circled the deck and headed back up after passing a figure wrapped in a blanket. As Aizen left the figure lowered the blanket revealing herself to be Rukia.

"_That was the last time I ever saw Aizen, he married of course and inherited his millions but the crash of 29 hit his interests hard and he put a pistol in his mouth…or so I read."_

Rukia now almost recovered from her deep sea plunge was standing on the deck of the Carpathia, watching as the Statue of Liberty moved past her. She was in New York alone and she couldn't feel any emptier. Ichigo was gone and she had dreamed of getting off the Titanic with him, a dream that would never become reality.

Another officer, named Jasper Hale came up to Rukia as she stared at the statue.

"Can I take your name miss?" he asked.

"Rukia," Rukia answered. "Rukia Kurosaki"

1997

"We never found anything on Ichigo," Marcus said. He seemed calm, Rukia's story had shifted his perspective on life and he held his crying sister tightly. "There wasn't any record of him."

"Well you wouldn't," Rukia said sadly. "He only exists in my memory; I've never spoken about him to anyone, not even Risa's grandfather. A woman's heart is an ocean on secrets. But at least you know there was a man named Ichigo Kurosaki and he saved me, in every way a person can be saved. I don't even have a picture of him; he exists only in my memory."

~*~*~*~*~

The subs were taking their final launch before Jake called off the entire search, leaving the Titanic's wreck in private and eternal darkness.

The French Ship's boat deck was alive with music as the crew threw a makeshift wrap up party, with imported liquor and of course tequila. Marcus poured two shots of Japanese Sake, one for him and one for Jack.

"Here's to getting off this infernal thing," Marcus said handing the shot to Jack. The two of them toasted to each other before downing the shots in one gulp and Marcus went to pour more.

Jake was in a pissy mood and watched the ocean alone with an unopened bottle of champagne in his hand. Arisa came up to him with a cup of sake.

"I'm sorry," she said handing him the shot.

"We were shoving the square peg in the round hole the entire time," he showed Arisa the bottle of champagne. "I was saving this for when I found the diamond. For three years I though of nothing but Titanic. It never hit me, now it just."

He was hit by a sudden wave of emotion and Arisa went to put her arm around him when they spotted something heading aft.

"Oh shit," they exclaimed and demonstrating the agility of a ninja vaulted over the rail that separated the lower and upper decks.

What they had seen was Rukia making her way aft in her nightgown. She was standing on the back rail, the way she did 84 years ago when she was about to jump off the back of the Titanic. No wonder Arisa and Jake displayed such ninja skills.

"Obasan!" Arisa yelled. "No don't!"

Rukia turned around with her hand cupped around something. Something blue and shiny and she was about to drop it overboard.

"Don't come any closer!" she threatened.

"You had it this whole time?!" Jake asked in shock. Arisa wondered who would go into cardiac arrest first.

_As the Carpathia made it to port in New York Rukia realized she was still wearing Aizen's jacket. Out of curiosity she reached into the breast pocket and among the stacks of cash was something hard. Rukia pulled it out and to her amazement it was the blue diamond necklace._

"The hardest part about being poor was being rich, every time I thought of selling it I thought of Aizen and how I did pretty damn good without him," Rukia said smugly letting the diamond slip a few centimeters. By now Marcus (half-drunk) Jack (nearly wasted) and Amy (with sex hair) had arrived and stopped short behind Jake, staring in awe at the thing in Rukia's hand.

"Holy shit," Marcus said.

"Don't drop it Rukia," Jake asked calmly nearly begging. He was in shock but not as much as Marcus, even in a half-drunk state of mind.

"I'll get the fire hose," he hissed at Jake. Jake slapped his hand down in an obvious 'no' gesture. "Can we rush her?"

"It's hers you dumbass," Jake hissed. He turned to Rukia. "Look, obviously something's not right upstairs because I think a sane person wouldn't jump off Titanic when it's not sinking and jumps onto it when it is. I know were on the illogical path here but ponder that a moment."

"I have pondered it," Rukia said brightly. "And I came here to put this thing back where it belongs."

"Can I just hold it?" Jake asked. Surprisingly Rukia placed it in his hand and Jake had the urge to take it and run around like a drunken moron but managed to overcome it.

"You look for treasure in the wrong places Mr. Emmerson," Rukia said taking the diamond away from Jake. "Only life is priceless and making each day count."

With an impish grin Rukia tossed the diamond over the railing causing Marcus to break formation and run toward the rail.

"Aw man, that sucks balls lady, why? Why?" he watched the diamond sink out of sight looking like he was about to cry. Jake stood motionless as a slew of emotions hit him. It took a while before he started to laugh. Soon Jack joined in, as well as Amy, Arisa, Rukia and finally Marcus joined in with a few sobs.

"You wanna dance Reese?" Jake asked Arisa. She smiled and nodded.


	21. Epilogue: My Heart Will Go On

**Epilogue**

Rukia was nestled in her room fast asleep under her blankets. On her bedside table were her photographs of everything she had done in her life. From acting in Hollywood to her son's college graduation one picture stood out from the rest. It was one of Rukia, in the year 1920, riding a horse on the beach in the surf. Behind her was a pier, the Santa Monica pier in California.

The wreck of the Titanic sat in eerie stillness not to be disturbed for eternity letting the spirits rest in piece. A being seemed to run through it and as it did the ghost ship came back to life little by little until the Grand Staircase in all its magnificence materialized in thin air. Surrounding the staircase were people, all those people who had perished when the ship went down. The doors were opened by Ikkaku and Yumichika and the being swirled in, materializing into the form of Rukia at seventeen years old. Lining the staircase and egging her on up were Ishida and Toshiro. Ukitake took her by the arm and led her up the stairs like a father throwing the bride away.

On top of the staircase in a black tux stood Ichigo and Byakuya was behind him in his captain's uniform. Ukitake left Rukia with Ichigo, bowed to the two of them and headed back down the stairs. Rukia was wearing a stunning white dress and Ichigo lifted the veil from in front of her eyes. They took each other's hands and Byakuya acting like a priest gave the statement.

Closing their eyes Rukia and Ichigo shared in the first embrace of forever and the other departed souls smiled and applauded. Ichigo and Rukia after eighty-four years were together at last.

~The End~


End file.
